Colored protein in bacteria that likes sodium with a molecular weight of 26,000 and 7 joules of alpha helix chains in one molecule, this inherent membrane protein is in a purple membrane with each chain running across the membrane.
Like rhodopsin that responds to light, the protein contains one molecule of retinal. Because its chemical features are similar to that of rhodopsin, it is called bacteriorhodopsin.

Bacteriorhodopsin is a key element used in the photosynthesis process of halophilic microbes that propagate in areas with 10 times more salinity than sea water.
This protein changes color from purple to yellow under the light, and it goes back to the original state when the light is removed. Because of this, bacteriorhodopsin can detect changes in color. This color changes are reversible, making it able to be used in bio memory chip development.

This invention is regarding the manufacturing of bacteriorhodopsin using microbes inside halobacterium. After batch cultivating the microbes inside halobacterium until late exponential phase, some of the culture medium is used to manifest bacteriorhodopsin, and the remaining medium is used for the production of high-density microbes in halobacterium, thereby manufacturing bacteriorhodopsin continuously.
Bacteriorhodopsin manufacturing method in this invention can distinguish between the cultivation of microbes in halobacterium and the manifestation of bacteriorhodopsin, thereby continuously mass producing high-density microbes in halobacterium and bacteriorhodopsin.