Microalgae are one of the important components in food chains of aquatic ecosystems and have been used for human consumption as food and as medicines. The wide diversity of compounds synthesized from different metabolic pathways of fresh and marine water algae provide promising sources of fatty acids, steroids, carotenoids, polysaccharides, lectins, mycosporine-like amino acids, halogenated compounds, polyketides, toxins, agar agar, alginic acid and carrageenan. This review discusses microalgae used to produce biological substances and its economic importance in food science, the pharmaceutical industry and public health.

Carotenoids are natural pigments that play pivotal roles in many physiological functions. The characteristics of carotenoids, their effects on health, and the cosmetic benefits of their usage have been under investigation for a long time; however, most reviews on this subject focus on carotenoids obtained from several microalgae, vegetables, fruits, and higher plants. Recently, microalgae have received much attention due to their abilities in producing novel bioactive metabolites, including a wide range of different carotenoids that can provide for health and cosmetic benefits. The main objectives of this review are to provide an updated view of recent work on the health and cosmetic benefits associated with carotenoid use, as well as to provide a list of microalgae that produce different types of carotenoids. This review could provide new insights to researchers on the potential role of carotenoids in improving human health.

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This study aimed to comprehensively analyze primary and secondary metabolites of three different-colored (white, pale green, and green) pak choi cultivars (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) using gas chromatography attached with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In total, 53 primary metabolites were identified and subjected to partial least-squares discriminant analysis. The result revealed a significant difference in the primary and secondary metabolites between the three pak choi cultivars. In addition, 49 hydrophilic metabolites were detected in different cultivars. Total phenolic and glucosinolate contents were highest in the pale green and green cultivars, respectively, whereas total carotenoid and chlorophyll contents were highest in the white cultivar. Superoxide dismutase activity, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydraz scavenging, and reducing power were slightly increased in the white, pale green, and green cultivars, respectively. In addition, a negative correlation between pigments and phenylpropanoids was discovered by metabolite correlation analysis. This approach will provide useful information for the development of strategies to enhance the biosynthesis of phenolics, glucosinolates, carotenoids, and chlorophyll, and to improve antioxidant activity in pak choi cultivars. In addition, this study supports the use of HPLC and GC-TOFMS-based metabolite profiling to explore differences in pak choi cultivars.

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