Microalgae n-3 PUFAs Production and Use in Food and Feed Industries

Abstract

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), and especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential compounds for human health. They have been proven to act positively on a panel of diseases and have interesting anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory or anti-cancer properties. For these reasons, they are receiving more and more attention in recent years, especially future food or feed development. EPA and DHA come mainly from marine sources like fish or seaweed. Unfortunately, due to global warming, these compounds are becoming scarce for humans because of overfishing and stock reduction. Although increasing in recent years, aquaculture appears insufficient to meet the increasing requirements of these healthy molecules for humans. One alternative resides in the cultivation of microalgae, the initial producers of EPA and DHA. They are also rich in biochemicals with interesting properties. After defining macro and microalgae, this review synthesizes the current knowledge on n-3 PUFAs regarding health benefits and the challenges surrounding their supply within the environmental context. Microalgae n-3 PUFA production is examined and its synthesis pathways are discussed. Finally, the use of EPA and DHA in food and feed is investigated. This work aims to define better the issues surrounding n-3 PUFA production and supply and the potential of microalgae as a sustainable source of compounds to enhance the food and feed of the future.

Microalgae as Sustainable Bio-Factories of Healthy Lipids: Evaluating Fatty Acid Content and Antioxidant Activity

“…Other microalgae are used to obtain extracts for a wide range of uses (such as supplementation with essential nutrients, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, production of biodiesel, among others), thus they have been studied for many years [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. The presence of high abundances of ω-3 FA in microalgae is essential to valorize them as food products and food ingredients [ 27 ]. Omega-3 FA are sensitive to oxidation and could, therefore, work as food preservatives to prevent spoilage [ 28 ].…”

Microalgae Derived Astaxanthin: Research and Consumer Trends and Industrial Use as Food

“…What makes microalgae especially interesting in terms of human nutrition is not only their protein or lipid content but the quality of the proteins and lipids they produce and also their potential to produce and accumulate bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties. Microalgae have been reported to produce and accumulate polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [20], and carotenoids, such as β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin [21]. Other advantages of microalgae include that they can be produced on non-arable land, and, therefore, they do not compete with conventional crops for land, and that some of them can be produced using seawater.…”

Anti-tumour drugs of marine origin currently at various stages of clinical trials (review)

“…Currently, commercial production of microalgae is around 5,000 tonnes of dry mass a year (Abidizadegan et al, 2020). They are recognized as promising objects for scientific developments in the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, the food industry, in production of biomaterials, biofuel (Balasubramaniam et al, 2021;Remize et al, 2021).…”