Fucoxanthin Production of Microalgae under Different Culture Factors: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Fucoxanthin is one of the light-harvesting pigments in brown microalgae, which is increasingly gaining attention due to its numerous health-promoting properties. Currently, the production of microalgal fucoxanthin is not yet feasible from an economic perspective. However, the cultivation of microalgae at favourable conditions holds great potential to increase the viability of this fucoxanthin source. Hence, this study aimed to review the fucoxanthin production of microalgae under different conditions systematically. A literature search was performed using the Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed databases. A total of 188 articles were downloaded and 28 articles were selected for the current review by two independent authors. Microalgae appeared to be a more reliable fucoxanthin source compared to macroalgae. Overall, a consensus fucoxanthin production condition was obtained and proposed: light intensity ranging from 10 to 100 µmol/m2/s could achieve a higher fucoxanthin content. However, the optimal light condition in producing fucoxanthin is species-specific. The current review serves as an antecedent by offering insights into the fucoxanthin-producing microalgae response to different culture factors via a systematic analysis. With the current findings and recommendations, the feasibility of producing fucoxanthin commercially could be enhanced and possibly achieve practical and sustainable fucoxanthin production.

Manipulation in Culture Conditions of Nanofrustulum shiloi for Enhanced Fucoxanthin Production and Isolation by Preparative Chromatography

“…When the studies in the literature are examined, it has been reported that the light intensity required for the production of high amounts of fucoxanthin varies between 10 and 100 μmol/m 2 s. Similarly, N. shiloi produced the maximum amount of fucoxanthin at 50 μmol/m 2 s light intensity in this study. Therefore, the obtained result is as expected [ 32 ].…”

“…In N. shiloi , low intensities of light caused an increase in the amount of fucoxanthin. Although the adaptability of microalgae to environmental stress, particularly light intensity, is species-specific, there is a similar trend among fucoxanthin-producing microalgae, which states that low light intensity induces a higher accumulation of fucoxanthin [ 32 ]. This increase may be due to the Fucoxanthin–chlorophyll proteins (FCP) which are associated with photosystems (PS) I and II in the thylakoid membranes (TM) in algae.…”

“…(7.5–23.3 mg/g), Nitzschia spp. (12–32.8 mg/g), Phaeodactylum tricornutum (10.9–59.2 mg/g), Tisochrysis lutea (2.1–79.4 mg/g), and others are a promising source for fucoxanthin production [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. With the current findings and recommendations, the economic viability of fucoxanthin production might be improved, possibly leading to a feasible and sustainable production method [ 33 ].…”

Study on bioactive compounds of microalgae as antioxidants in a bibliometric analysis and visualization perspective

“…Due to its numerous biological and health-promoting qualities, including its anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, and antioxidant characteristics, fucoxanthin has received much attention lately ( Muthuirulappan and Francis, 2013 ). The amount of fucoxanthin in microalgae has been shown to grow at light densities between 10 and 100 µmol/m 2 /s; however, the effects of varying light, nutrition, salinity, temperature, and carbon dioxide on fucoxanthin levels vary ( Khaw et al., 2022 ). Therefore, investigations on temperature and salinity are required to achieve the ideal balance between fucoxanthin and biomass production while swiftly putting fucoxanthin into commercial production.…”

Microalgae as a Nutraceutical Tool to Antagonize the Impairment of Redox Status Induced by SNPs: Implications on Insulin Resistance

“…[ 137 ]. Fucoxanthin is the main carotenoid pigment, component of photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes, in marine ecosystems and a member of the xanthophyll family, it can be produced by microalgae and, in particular, Phaeodactilum tricornutum [ 139 ], but it can also be produced in Isochrysis galbana , Odontella sinensis , and Chaetoceros calcitrans [ 140 ]. β-cryptoxanthin is a retinol precursor carotenoid with a chemical structure similar to β-carotene but more polar.…”