Enhanced yield of Scenedesmus obliquus biomacromolecules through medium optimization and development of microalgae based functional chocolate

Applications of Microalgae in Foods, Pharma and Feeds and Their Use as Fertilizers and Biostimulants: Legislation and Regulatory Aspects for Consideration

Microalgae are a rich resource of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and pigments with nutritional and health benefits. They increasingly find use as ingredients in functional foods and feeds as well as in cosmetics and agricultural products including biostimulants. One of their distinct advantages is their ability to grow on wastewaters and other waste streams, and they are considered an environmentally friendly and cheap method to recover nutrients and remove pollutants from the environment. However, there are limits concerning their applications if grown on certain waste streams. Within, we collate an overview of existing algal applications and current market scenarios for microalgal products as foods and feeds along with relevant legislative requirements concerning their use in Europe and the United States. Microalgal compounds of interest and their extraction and processing methodologies are summarized, and the benefits and caveats of microalgae cultivated in various waste streams and their applications are discussed.

Microalgal Proteins and Bioactives for Food, Feed, and Other Applications

Microalgae are a known source of proteins, prebiotics, lipids, small molecules, anti-oxidants and bioactives with health benefits that can be harnessed for the development of functional foods, feeds, cosmeceuticals and pharmaceuticals. This review collates information on the supply, processing costs, target markets and value of microalgae, as well as microalgal proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals. It discusses the potential impact that microalgae could have on global food and feed supply and highlights gaps that exist with regards to the use of microalgal proteins and ingredients as foods and supplements.

Evaluation of growth and carotenoid production by a green microalga Scenedesmus quadricauda PUMCC 4.1.40. under optimized culture conditions

Microalgae are a potential source of a wide range of food and novel value-added products. The versatility of microalgae to produce different kind of pigments is gaining interest as a sustainable source of natural carotenoids. Currently, commercial production of carotenoids from selected microalgae requires special culture conditions which are difficult to maintain. The present study has been undertaken to optimize culture conditions for growth and carotenoid production by a new isolate Scenedesmus quadricauda PUMCC 4.1.40. The results revealed that test organism produced 1.54 mg dry biomass/ml with a content of 40 μg carotenoids/mg dry biomass during stationary phase. The growth and carotenoid production was increased by 2.4-fold under combined optimized culture conditions. The optimized conditions were growth medium, Chu-10; pH 8.5; temperature, 30°C; nitrogen, 20 mM nitrate; phosphate, 0.22 mM; NaCl, 0.42 mM and blue light. Separation and identification of four important carotenoids through high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) followed by purification using flash chromatography and quantification by HPLC revealed 23.8, 19.0, 6.5, and 4.0 μg astaxanthin, β-carotene, lutein, and canthaxanthin /mg dry biomass, respectively. The amount of total carotenoids (98 μg/mg dry biomass) containing 40% valuable astaxanthin and β-carotene produced under optimized conditions was significantly higher than control cultures. This justifies that S. quadricauda is a promising candidate for scale-up production of carotenoid.