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Microalgae-Based Ingredients and Food Products: Biotechnological Production and Application
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Microalgae-Based Ingredients and Food Products: Biotechnological Production and Application

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Biotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2025 | Viewed by 2876

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mariany Costa Deprá

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Food Science and Technology Department, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Interests: microalgae biotechnology; photobioreactor engineering; environmental assessment; sustainability indicators and metrics; microalgae-based processes and products
Prof. Dr. Eduardo Jacob-Lopes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Food Science and Technology Department, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Interests: microalgae biotechnology; bioprocess engineering; sustainable engineering; microalgae-based processes and products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Leila Queiroz Zepka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Food Science and Technology Department, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
Interests: microalgae biotechnology; microalgae-based products; natural pigments; carotenoids; chlorophylls; bioactive compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food is one of the basic needs of life. Spiral problems associated with food demand and climate change have triggered a dilemma between food and sustainability, requiring crucial advances and innovative skills for the development of next-generation food ingredients. Thus, microalgal biomass—a proposed gold mine—has opened a new door for the sustainable food industry. Their cells, powered by photosynthesis, are sustainable expression chassis for multiple metabolites of nutritional interest. However, for microalgae-based ingredients to move from a flash-in-the-pan innovation to an industrial consolidation, science, engineering, and technology should build robust bridges over the old chasms that compose the death valley of microalgal biotechnology. Therefore, this Special Issue welcomes original research articles, reviews, short communications, and opinions about microalgae-based ingredient applications in the food industry, emphasizing the main considerations and recommendations on (i) microalgae strains; (ii) the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of microalgae compounds; (iii) bioprocesses and bioengineering; (iv) sustainability metrics and indicators; and (v) policy interventions and regulatory issues.

Dr. Mariany Costa Deprá
Prof. Dr. Eduardo Jacob-Lopes
Dr. Leila Queiroz Zepka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microalgae strains
  • primary and secondary metabolites
  • bioactive compounds
  • bioavailability and bioaccessibility
  • upstream and downstream processing
  • integration and intensification processes
  • sustainability metrics and indicators
  • sensorial and social acceptance
  • policy and regulatory issues

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 9483 KiB  
Article
Study on Newly Isolated Dysmorphococcus Strains from Reunion Island as Potential Sources of High-Value Carotenoids
by Samuel Jannel, Yanis Caro, Marc Bermudes and Thomas Petit
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3922; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233922 - 4 Dec 2024
Viewed by 533
Abstract
Certain secondary carotenoids, such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin, are of growing economic interest in the fields of human nutrition, food, health and cosmetics, as well as feed and aquaculture, particularly due to their numerous biological activities, such as their remarkable antioxidant properties. The [...] Read more.
Certain secondary carotenoids, such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin, are of growing economic interest in the fields of human nutrition, food, health and cosmetics, as well as feed and aquaculture, particularly due to their numerous biological activities, such as their remarkable antioxidant properties. The present study was devoted to assessing, in a photobioreactor, the feasibility of cultivating newly isolated Dysmorphococcus strains from the biodiversity of Reunion Island for the production of these valuable xanthophylls. The results showed that all these strains were capable of producing and accumulating canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in response to environmental stresses. Among them, a strain which presented interesting morphological, genetic and biochemical properties as compared to the other Dysmorphococcus strains was further cultivated in a 3 L benchtop photobioreactor and was found to produce maximum carotenoid-rich biomass concentrations and productivities of about 4 g L−1 dw and 0.055 g L−1 d−1 dw, respectively. We also found that the biomass contained up to 1.2 mg g−1 dw of canthaxanthin and 0.7 mg g−1 dw of different forms of astaxanthin, mainly astaxanthin monoesters. The productivity of these carotenoids was found to be lower than those observed for other microalgal species previously reported, and we suggested that further optimizations with respect to the cultivation and the carotenogenesis induction processes are needed to improve productivities and to make this locally isolated Dysmorphococcus strain useful for future commercial production of natural canthaxanthin and astaxanthin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microalgae-Based Ingredients and Food Products: Biotechnological Production and Application)
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26 pages, 11035 KiB  
Article
Exploration of the Biotechnological Potential of Two Newly Isolated Haematococcus Strains from Reunion Island for the Production of Natural Astaxanthin
by Samuel Jannel, Yanis Caro, Marc Bermudes and Thomas Petit
Foods 2024, 13(22), 3681; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13223681 - 19 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 824
Abstract
Haematococcus lacustris is a freshwater green microalgae species able to produce and accumulate astaxanthin in response to environmental stresses such as high light and nutrient deprivation. Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid of growing economic interest due to its numerous biological activities, notably its [...] Read more.
Haematococcus lacustris is a freshwater green microalgae species able to produce and accumulate astaxanthin in response to environmental stresses such as high light and nutrient deprivation. Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid of growing economic interest due to its numerous biological activities, notably its strong antioxidant properties, which can be valued in the fields of nutrition, health, feed and aquaculture. The present study aims at evaluating the capacity of two newly isolated Haematococcus strains from the biodiversity of Reunion Island, to be cultivated in a photobioreactor and to produce astaxanthin. The results showed that both strains were able to grow in various nutritive media and to produce and accumulate astaxanthin in response to stresses, mainly in the form of astaxanthin monoesters, which represented up to 2% of the dry biomass weight and which were mostly composed of linoleic and linolenic acids. In fed-batch cultures using 3 L benchtop photobioreactors, the concentrations of biomass enriched in astaxanthin reached up to 3 g L−1 (dry weight) with biomass productivities of 0.04 and 0.02 g L−1 d−1 based on the durations of the vegetative stage and of the entire culture, respectively. In these cultures, the astaxanthin productivities were found to reach on average around 0.25 mg L−1 d−1. Although these results were relatively low compared to the literature, the possibility of improving growth conditions in order to improve biomass and astaxanthin yields, to guarantee economic viability for cultivation at a commercial scale, was further discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microalgae-Based Ingredients and Food Products: Biotechnological Production and Application)
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15 pages, 4443 KiB  
Article
Serum-Free Medium Supplemented with Haematococcus pluvialis Extracts for the Growth of Human MRC-5 Fibroblasts
by Eun-Jeong Koh, Seong-Yeong Heo, Areumi Park, Yeon-Ji Lee, Woon-Yong Choi and Soo-Jin Heo
Foods 2024, 13(18), 3012; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13183012 - 23 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1172
Abstract
Experiments are increasingly performed in vitro; therefore, cell culture technology is essential for scientific progress. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a key cell culture supplement providing growth factors, amino acids, and hormones. However, FBS is not readily available on the market, has contamination [...] Read more.
Experiments are increasingly performed in vitro; therefore, cell culture technology is essential for scientific progress. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a key cell culture supplement providing growth factors, amino acids, and hormones. However, FBS is not readily available on the market, has contamination risks, and has ethical concerns. This study aimed to investigate Haematococcus pluvialis extracts (HE) as a potential substitute for FBS. Therefore, we assessed the effects of HE on cell maintenance, growth, and cycle progression in human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5). Cell progression and monosaccharide, fatty acid, and free amino acid compositions were analyzed using cell cycle analysis, bio-liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The results of nutritional profiles showed that the extracts contained essential amino acids required for synthesizing non-essential amino acids and other metabolic intermediates. Furthermore, most of the components present in HE were consistent with those found in FBS. HE enhanced cell viability and regulated cell cycle phases. Additionally, the interaction between growth factor cocktails and HE significantly improved cell viability, promoted cell cycle progression, and activated key cell cycle regulators, such as cyclin A and cyclin-dependent kinases 1 (CDK1). Our findings suggest that HE have considerable potential to substitute FBS in MRC-5 cell cultures and have functional and ethical advantages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microalgae-Based Ingredients and Food Products: Biotechnological Production and Application)
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