Arthrospira platensis is a filamentous cyanobacterium of the class Cyanophyceae and is the most cultivated photosynthetic prokaryote. It is used in the pharmaceutical sector, medicine and the food industry. It has a rich micro- and macro-element composition, containing proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals and raw fibers. It is a commonly used ingredient in food products and nutritional supplements. The wide range of biologically active components determines its diverse pharmacological properties (antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antineoplastic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, photoprotective, antiviral, etc.). This review summarizes research related to the taxonomy, distribution and chemical composition of Arthrospira platensis as well as its potential application in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Attention is drawn to its various medical applications as an antidiabetic and antiobesity agent, with hepatoprotective, antitumor, antimicrobial and antiviral effects as well as regulatory effects on neurodegenerative diseases.

No abstract

The current research focused on algae from the waters of the Black Sea—Chaetomorpha linum, Ulva intestinalis, Ericaria crinita, and bioreactors—Chlorella spp. and Arthrospira platensis/cyanobacterium/. Pigment content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity were investigated for their use as pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic ingredients. E. crinita exhibited the highest antioxidant activity by ORAC and HORAC (463.3 µmol TE/g and 463.3 µmol GAE/g) and the highest total content of polyphenols and rutin of the investigated algae. Lower protein content was found in saltwater algae than in freshwater algae. For the first time, biologically active substances from the Bulgarian A. platensis and Chlorella spp., produced in a bioreactor, have been quantitatively identified. A. platensis contained rutin (141.25 mg/100 g), naringenin (42.17 mg/100 g), quercetin (26.74 mg/100 g), kaempferol, and quercetin-3-β-glycoside. Phenolic acids were isolated: neochlorogenic (172.27 mg/100 g) for lyophilized and 5783 mg/100 g for convection-dried A. platensis. It has been found that the protein content in A. platensis (convection dried) and Chlorella spp. (lyophilized) was nearly 54% higher than that of green algae U. intestinalis from Varna. The lyophilization process reduced the protein content of A. platensis samples by almost 20%. The high protein content of convection-dried A. platensis (43.4%) and lyophilized Chlorella spp. (43.7%) identified them as suitable emulsifiers in colloidal and emulsion systems.

The aim of the current study was to investigate some bioactive compounds from Sambucus nigra L. blossoms and to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the obtained extracts. In this study, samples from four different regions of Bulgaria /Rhodopes, Plovdiv, Strandzha and Dobrich region/ from Sambucus nigra L. were collected and analyzed for total phenols, flavonoids, sugars and amino acids. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated by four assays based on different mechanisms. The sweetness index and total sweetness index of the extracts were also evaluated. The carbohydrate composition of the leaves and the blossoms was determined, with glucose and fructose predominating in both cases, as their contents were not above 3%. Nineteen amino acids have been identified in the composition of Sambucus nigra L., and glutamic, leucine and asparagine acids are predominant. The highest antioxidant activity and total content of phenols (49.2 ± 1 mg GAE/g) and flavonols (18.6 ± 0.5 mgQE/g) were found in the sample from the Rhodope region. Therefore, the higher altitude and lower temperature in mountains could influence the accumulation of secondary metabolites in blossoms of Sambucus nigra L., which improves the antioxidant potential of the samples.