Conventional and novel approaches to extract food ingredients and nutraceuticals from microalgae

Evaluation of Nutraceutical Properties of Eleven Microalgal Strains Isolated from Different Freshwater Aquatic Environments: Perspectives for Their Application as Nutraceuticals

“…According to the recent literature [ 16 ], different treatments of microalgal cultures are mandatory to optimize the extraction of functional molecules. In particular, before the extraction, the microalgal biomass needs to be harvested and preferably concentrated; sometimes, it is recommended to heat-treat the cells in order to induce their rupture.…”

“…For these purposes, in the last several decades, many studies have focused on the use of microalgae in nutraceutical applications [ 8 , 15 ], especially considering them as a whole-food ingredient. Another alternative application of such microorganisms in the field of nutrition is the extraction of food ingredients and nutraceutical compounds from microalgal cultures to allow the more targeted use of their nutritional and functional properties [ 16 ]. Other than being cost-effective, the extraction process must be capable of recovering high yields of the targeted components and, at the same time, avoiding the degradation and contamination of the final products [ 16 ].…”

“…Another alternative application of such microorganisms in the field of nutrition is the extraction of food ingredients and nutraceutical compounds from microalgal cultures to allow the more targeted use of their nutritional and functional properties [ 16 ]. Other than being cost-effective, the extraction process must be capable of recovering high yields of the targeted components and, at the same time, avoiding the degradation and contamination of the final products [ 16 ]. Currently, the most challenging part within the process of microalgal use for nutraceutical purposes deals with the separation, recovery, and treatment of the biomass; accordingly, among the most promising technologies for the extraction and concentration of the biologically active compounds from the culture media, there are those based on the use of membranes, although the improvement of techno-economical aspects is still being investigated [ 17 ].…”