Algal Cultivation for Obtaining High-Value Products, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine Biotechnology Related to Drug Discovery or Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 1091

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institute of BioEconomy, IBE, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
Interests: carotenoids; polyphenols; antioxidants; microalgae; plants; photosynthesis
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Guest Editor
Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems, National Research Council, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Interests: microalgae; photosynthesis; photobioreactor; fluorescence; immobilisation; photofermentation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the success of the Special Issue entitled ‘Algal Cultivation for Obtaining High-Value Products’, we are delighted to announce the second edition on this publication.

Interest in the employment of high-value products from natural sources for application in human health, the food and cosmetics industries, and animal feed has increased significantly as consumers opt for natural ingredients and show concerns about the toxic effects of synthetic compounds.

Photosynthetic organisms have evolved to different strategies to survive under complex and extreme environmental conditions (high light, high salinity, extreme temperature, nutrient deficiency, or UV- radiation) by adapting their metabolism.

Various species of algae are capable of producing a large amount of secondary metabolites, such as carotenoids, polyphenols, and essential oils, which have a wide range of therapeutic properties due to their antioxidant activity. This peculiarity may depend mainly on the species, strains, genetic diversity, and/or abiotic stress. For this reason, numerous studies have been carried out to increase knowledge in this field and to optimize the recovery of natural antioxidant compounds under different growing conditions and with different stress factors. This Special Issue focuses on promoting algae capable of producing high-value products, as well as cultivation technologies, strategies, and growth conditions that will lead to the popularization of these compounds; techniques for the extraction and purification of these compounds and their potential applications will also be explored.

Dr. Cecilia Faraloni
Dr. Eleftherios Touloupakis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • algae
  • photosynthesis
  • antioxidant
  • stress
  • carotenoids
  • polyphenols
  • physiology
  • high-value product
  • photobioreactor
  • biotechnology
  • fatty acids

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 1384 KiB  
Article
Exploring Phaeodactylum tricornutum for Nutraceuticals: Cultivation Techniques and Neurotoxin Risk Assessment
by Tobias Ebbing, Lena Kopp, Konstantin Frick, Tabea Simon, Berit Würtz, Jens Pfannstiel, Ulrike Schmid-Staiger, Stephan C. Bischoff and Günter E. M. Tovar
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(2), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23020058 - 26 Jan 2025
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Abstract
This study investigates the potential of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PT) as a sustainable and nutritionally valuable food source, focusing on its ability to produce bioactive compounds such as eicosapentaenoic acid, fucoxanthin, chrysolaminarin (CRY) and proteins. PT was cultivated in a flat-plate airlift [...] Read more.
This study investigates the potential of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum (PT) as a sustainable and nutritionally valuable food source, focusing on its ability to produce bioactive compounds such as eicosapentaenoic acid, fucoxanthin, chrysolaminarin (CRY) and proteins. PT was cultivated in a flat-plate airlift photobioreactor (FPA-PBR) illuminated with LEDs from two sides. The study aimed to monitor and minimize β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) levels to address safety concerns. The data showed that the selected FPA-PBR setup was superior in biomass and EPA productivity, and CRY production was reduced. No BMAA was detected in any biomass sample during cultivation. By adjusting the cultivation conditions, PT biomass with different compositional profiles could be produced, enabling various applications in the food and health industries. Biomass from nutrient-repleted conditions is rich in EPA and Fx, with nutritional and health benefits. Biomass from nutrient-depleted conditions accumulated CRY, which can be used as dietary fiber. These results highlight the potential of PT as a versatile ingredient for human consumption and the effectiveness of FPA-PBRs with artificial lighting in producing high-quality biomass. This study also provides the basis for future research to optimize photobioreactor conditions to increase production efficiency and to tailor the biomass profiles of PT for targeted health-promoting applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Algal Cultivation for Obtaining High-Value Products, 2nd Edition)
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