Microalgae-Derived Pigments: A 10-Year Bibliometric Review and Industry and Market Trend Analysis

Abstract

Microalgae productive chains are gaining importance as sustainable alternatives to obtain natural pigments. This work presents a review on the most promising pigments and microalgal sources by gathering trends from a 10-year bibliometric survey, a patents search, and an industrial and market analysis built from available market reports, projects and companies’ webpages. The performed analysis pointed out chlorophylls, phycocyanin, astaxanthin, and β-carotene as the most relevant pigments, and Chlorella vulgaris, Spirulina platensis, Haematococcus pluvialis, and Dunaliella salina, respectively, as the most studied sources. Haematococcus is referred in the highest number of patents, corroborating a high technological interest in this microalga. The biorefinery concept, investment in projects and companies related to microalgae cultivation and/or pigment extraction is increasingly growing, particularly, for phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis. These pieces of evidence are a step forward to consolidate the microalgal pigments market, which is expected to grow in the coming years, increasing the prospects of replacing synthetic pigments by natural counterparts.

Isolation of Industrial Important Bioactive Compounds from Microalgae

“…Chlorophylls, a photosynthetic green pigment present in microalgae as chlorophyll a (blue-green colour), b (brilliant green), c (yellow-green), d (brilliant/forest green) and f (emerald green) dependent on types of algae [ 124 ]. Chlorophyll a , which is abundantly found in cyanobacteria such as Chlorella , has been extensively used as colouring agent due to its stability [ 125 ].…”

Xanthophylls from the Sea: Algae as Source of Bioactive Carotenoids

“…Procedures have been technologically advanced to grow Haematococcus containing 1.5–3.0% AS dry weight [ 27 , 29 ]. The richest source of β-carotene is the halotolerant green microalgae Dunaliella salina , accumulating up to 10% of it based on the dry weight of the microalgae [ 30 , 31 ]. When H. pluvialis and D. salina are cultivated in extreme conditions (such as high salinity, high luminosity, or lack of nutrients), AS and β-carotene, respectively, can reach more than 90% of the total carotenoids [ 7 ].…”

“…It is estimated that in 2026, the CA market will grow to USD 2.0 billion, registering an annual growth rate for CA of 4.2% [ 38 ]. The most relevant and important pigments on the market today are β-carotene and AS, followed by lutein, lycopene, and canthaxanthin [ 13 , 31 ]. So far, most commercial CA are artificially produced.…”

Microfluidics for microalgal biotechnology

“…Algal chloroplasts serve as functional antibodies and immunotoxins and ensure to produce highly biocompatible and non‐toxic biopharmaceuticals (BFs) or bioceuticals (i.e., an alternative to pharmaceutical) at lower costs (Rosales‐Mendoza, 2016). Microalgae have already gained attraction in the markets of antibiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, carotenoids and anticancer drugs (Novoveská et al, 2019; Rahman, 2020; Silva et al, 2020). Several microalgae species have been investigated for their alternative and complementary medicinal aspects (Shanab et al, 2012).…”