Epithermal neutron activation analysis of Spirulina platensis biomass and extracted C-phycocianin and DNA

Epithermal neutron activation analysis (ENAA) was used for study the biomass of Spirulina platensis. The background levels of concentration 27 macro-, micro- and trace elements ranging from 10^-3 to 10⁴ ppm was determined. It was found that the biomass of Spirulina does not contain toxic element concentrations above the tolerance level and can be utilized as a matrix of pharmaceuticals. The conentrations of basic elements in C-phycocianin and DNA extracted from Spirulina platensis were determined by ENAA. A comparison of the element content of a whole Spirulina biomass with that of a refined C-phycocianin preparation was made.