The efficient use of natural resources is essential for the planet’s sustainability and ensuring food security. Colombia’s large availability of water resources in combination with its climatic characteristics allows for the development of many microalgae species. The use of microalgae can potentially contribute to sustainable production in support of the agri-food sector. The nutritional composition (proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids, vitamins, pigments, and antioxidants) of microalgae along with the ease of producing high biomass yields make them an excellent choice for human and animal nutrition and agriculture. Several species of microalgae have been studied seeking to develop food supplements for pigs, ruminants, poultry, fish, crustaceans, rabbits, and even bees. Important benefits to animal health, production, and improved bromatological and organoleptic characteristics of milk, meat, and eggs have been observed. Based on the functional properties of some microalgae species, foods and supplements have also been developed for human nutrition. Moreover, because microalgae contain essential nutrients, they can be utilized as biofertilizers by replacing chemical fertilizers, which are detrimental to the environment. In view of the above, the study of microalgae is a promising research area for the development of biotechnology and bioeconomy in Colombia.

Colombia is the country with the sixth highest amount of water reserves in the world, and 25% of its territory is covered by wetlands. However, approximately 50% of the country’s water is estimated to exhibit some type of contamination related to anthropic activities. An alternative for the treatment and the recovery of its bodies of water is the use of microalgae, unicellular, and mixotrophic microorganisms, as these bioreactors are highly adaptable to the environment, and their maintenance costs are minimal, because they feed on almost any substrate. In fact, different countries have already reported using microalgae as bioremediators for bodies of water. The use of these microphytes is efficient because they metabolize, degrade, or bioaccumulate heavy metals, pesticides, emerging pollutants, and antibiotics. In general, strategies relying on microalgae to eliminate pollutants are very similar to one another. For example, the first stage often includes a process of bioadsorption, consumption, degradation, and accumulation, wherein the microalgae use molecules generated from their own cellular metabolism. Some pilot studies focusing on the phycoremediation of marshes and other bodies of water have already been conducted in Colombia; however, more studies on process optimization, effectively leveraging the biodiversity of the existing microalgae, and better adapting microalgae to the region are still required.

Considering that a large proportion of industrially used pigments are toxic and potentially mutagenic, with some having carcinogenic effects, it is essential to replace them as well as eliminate them from industrial effluents. The discovery of biopigments has received considerable attention from the industry sector. The main objective of this study was to increase the production of carotenoid pigments in naturally pigmented yeast by subjecting the yeast to various cellular stresses. The fungal strain Rhodotorula mucilaginosa/alborubescens AJB01 was isolated from a food sample collected in Barranquilla, Colombia, and one of the pigments produced was β-carotene. This strain was subjected to various stress conditions, including osmotic stress using different salts, physical stress by ultraviolet (UV) light, and light stress using different photoperiods. The optimal growth conditions for carotenoid production were determined to be 1 min of UV light, 0.5 mg/L of magnesium sulfate, and 18:6 h light/dark period, which resulted in a carotenoid yield of 118.3 µg of carotenoid per gram of yeast.

Bacterial resistance is responsible for a wide variety of health problems, both in children and adults. The persistence of symptoms and infections are mainly treated with β-lactam antibiotics. The increasing resistance to those antibiotics by bacterial pathogens generated the emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), an actual public health problem. This is due to rapid mutations of bacteria when exposed to antibiotics. In this case, β-lactamases are enzymes used by bacteria to hydrolyze the beta-lactam rings present in the antibiotics. Therefore, it was necessary to explore novel molecules as potential β-lactamases inhibitors to find antibacterial compounds against infection caused by ESBLs. A computational methodology based on molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations was used to find new microalgae metabolites inhibitors of β-lactamase. Six 3D β-lactamase proteins were selected, and the molecular docking revealed that the metabolites belonging to the same structural families, such as phenylacridine (4-Ph), quercetin (Qn), and cryptophycin (Cryp), exhibit a better binding score and binding energy than commercial clinical medicine β-lactamase inhibitors, such as clavulanic acid, sulbactam, and tazobactam. These results indicate that 4-Ph, Qn, and Cryp molecules, homologous from microalgae metabolites, could be used, likely as novel β-lactamase inhibitors or as structural templates for new in-silico pharmaceutical designs, with the possibility of combatting β-lactam resistance

La clasificación de los organismos vivos ha sido modificada numerosas veces, debido a que algunos grupos han sido difíciles de catalogar. Actualmente se reconocen siete reinos: Animalia, Plantea, Protozoa, Fungí, Archaea, Bacteria y Chromista. Este último es un grupo polifilético, muy variable morfológicamente, importante en ecosistemas marinos. La filogénia molecular permite clasificar de acuerdo con relaciones de parentesco. En este estudio se analizó la región ITS para verificar las relaciones entre diferentes filos del reino Chromista. Se seleccionaron 46 secuencias de ADN de especies diferentes de las bases de datos, se procesaron y analizaron, empleando métodos bioinformáticos de distancia y filogenia. Todos los dendrogramas mostraron una distribución de especies de acuerdo con la clasificación vigente, evidenciando que los chromistas forman un linaje diferente de los protozoos. Finalmente, es necesario realizar más estudios para descifrar mejor la evolución, fisiología y ecología; y así desarrollar estrategias de conservación, manejo y biotecnologías.