In situ photoacoustic spectroscopy of phycobiliproteins in Gracilaria chilensis

Phycobiliproteins, the main polypeptidic components of the phycobilisomes (PBS), are biolog-
ical macromolecules arranged in complex interaction systems to perform light harvesting and conduction.
The optical properties of these systems can hardly be studied by conventional spectroscopic techniques.
Furthermore this techniques also involve laborious chemical extraction methods. Photoacoustic (PA) spec-
troscopy was successfully applied to an in situ study of the phycobiliproteins expression in the eukaryotic
red algae: Gracilaria chilensis.