Microalgae Polysaccharides: An Alternative Source for Food Production and Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Carbohydrates or polysaccharides are the main products derived from photosynthesis and carbon fixation in the Calvin cycle. Compared to other sources, polysaccharides derived from microalgae are safe, biocompatible, biodegradable, stable, and versatile. These polymeric macromolecules present complex biochemical structures according to each microalgal species. In addition, they exhibit emulsifying properties and biological characteristics that include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antimicrobial activities. Some microalgal species have a naturally high concentration of carbohydrates. Other species can adapt their metabolism to produce more sugars from changes in temperature and light, carbon source, macro and micronutrient limitations (mainly nitrogen), and saline stress. In addition to growing in adverse conditions, microalgae can use industrial effluents as an alternative source of nutrients. Microalgal polysaccharides are predominantly composed of pentose and hexose monosaccharide subunits with many glycosidic bonds. Microalgae polysaccharides can be structural constituents of the cell wall, energy stores, or protective polysaccharides and cell interaction. The industrial use of microalgae polysaccharides is on the rise. These microorganisms present rheological and biological properties, making them a promising candidate for application in the food industry and agriculture. Thus, microalgae polysaccharides are promising sustainable alternatives for potential applications in several sectors, and the choice of producing microalgal species depends on the required functional activity. In this context, this review article aims to provide an overview of microalgae technology for polysaccharide production, emphasizing its potential in the food, animal feed, and agriculture sector.

A Modeled High-Density Fed-Batch Culture Improves Biomass Growth and β-Glucans Accumulation in Microchloropsis salina

“…β-glucans are polysaccharides constituted by D-glucose monomers, joined by type β glycosidic bonds in positions β-(1,2); β-(1,3); β-(1,4); and β-(1,6) [ 1 , 2 ]. They are found as components in plants, fungi, yeasts, and bacteria, among other microorganisms, playing a structural role or as an energy reservoir [ 1 ].…”

Development of sustainable bioproducts from microalgae biomass: Current status and future perspectives

“…Utilizing nanotechnology to create polysaccharidebased goods can be applied in the food, health and beauty industries (Morais et al 2022). Moreover, the polysaccharides are being used in the biomedical field for antithrombotic, immunomodulatory, antitumor, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antiviral, and antioxidant activities, as reported by many authors (Xu et al 2017;Moreira et al 2022;Patil et al 2018;Li et al 2019).…”

Microalgae Strain Porphyridium purpureum for Nutrient Reduction in Dairy Wastewaters

“…Due to their lack of toxicity, EPS are increasingly taken into account in food technology through their interesting functional properties, which can be exploited to impart attractive properties to foods [30]. Considering that the EPS that can be derived from Porphyridium purpureum microalgae contain polysaccharide sulphate which can provide antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral properties they have great potential to be used, besides pharmaceutically, in the food industry; for example, as a natural preservative (assuring the storage stability of processed food products) or as a natural thickener [14,[31][32][33][34]. Considering that food processing also involves technological operations that take place at high temperatures, the thermal stability of EPS is a must.…”