Patrã­cia Fradinho

Bio: Patrã­cia Fradinho is an academic researcher from Instituto Superior de Agronomia. The author has contributed to research in topics: Chlorella vulgaris. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 112 citations.

Microalgae biomass as an alternative ingredient in cookies: Sensory, physical and chemical properties, antioxidant activity and in vitro digestibility

Abstract: Microalgae can be regarded as an alternative and promising food ingredient due to their nutritional composition, richness in bioactive compounds, and because they are considered a sustainable protein source for the future. The aim of this work was to evaluate microalgae ( Arthrospira platensis F&M-C256, Chlorella vulgaris Allma, Tetraselmis suecica F&M-M33 and Phaeodactylum tricornutum F&M-M40) as innovative ingredients to enhance functional properties of cookies. Two biomass levels were tested and compared to control: 2% (w/w) and 6% (w/w), to provide high levels of algae-bioactives. The cookies sensory and physical properties were evaluated during eight weeks showing high color and texture stability. Cookies prepared with A. platensis and C. vulgaris presented significantly ( p A. platensis cookies were preferred. Besides, A. platensis also provided a structuring effect in terms of cookies texture. All microalgae-based cookies showed significantly higher ( p in vitro antioxidant capacity compared to the control. No significant difference ( p in vitro digestibility between microalgae cookies and the control was found.

Trends in Microalgae Incorporation Into Innovative Food Products With Potential Health Benefits

Abstract: Microalgae have demonstrated potential to meet the population's need for a more sustainable food supply, specifically with respect to protein demand. These promising protein sources present several advantages over other currently used raw materials from an environmental point of view. Additionally, one of the main characteristics of microalgae is the production of bioactive compounds with potential benefits for human health. Microalgae exploitation as a source of protein (bulk protein) and other valuable products within the food industry still presents some drawbacks, mainly because of the underdeveloped technologies and processes currently available for microalgae processing. The systematic improvement of the technology readiness level (TRL) could help change the current situation if applied to microalgae cultivation and processing. High maturity in microalgae cultivation and processing technologies also requires improvement of the economy of scale and investment of resources in new facilities and research. Antioxidative, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, anticancerogenic, hepato-protective, and anticoagulant activities have been attributed to some microalgae-derived compounds such as peptides. Nevertheless, research on this topic is scarce and the evidence on potential health benefits is not strong. In the last years, the possibility of using microalgae-derived compounds for innovative functional food products has become of great interest, but the literature available mainly focuses more on the addition of the whole cells or some compound already available on the market. This review describes the status of utilising microalgae as an ingredient in innovative food products with potential health benefits.

Potential Industrial Applications and Commercialization of Microalgae in the Functional Food and Feed Industries: A Short Review.

Abstract: Bioactive compounds, e.g., protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals, found in commercial form of microalgal biomass (e.g., powder, flour, liquid, oil, tablet, or capsule forms) may play important roles in functional food (e.g., dairy products, desserts, pastas, oil-derivatives, or supplements) or feed (for cattle, poultry, shellfish, and fish) with favorable outcomes upon human health, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects, as well as prevention of gastric ulcers, constipation, anemia, diabetes, and hypertension. However, scale up remains a major challenge before commercial competitiveness is attained. Notwithstanding the odds, a few companies have already overcome market constraints, and are successfully selling extracts of microalgae as colorant, or supplement for food and feed industries. Strong scientific evidence of probiotic roles of microalgae in humans is still lacking, while scarce studies have concluded on probiotic activity in marine animals upon ingestion. Limitations in culture harvesting and shelf life extension have indeed constrained commercial viability. There are, however, scattered pieces of evidence that microalgae play prebiotic roles, owing to their richness in oligosaccharides—hardly fermented by other members of the intestinal microbiota, or digested throughout the gastrointestinal tract of humans/animals for that matter. However, consistent applications exist only in the dairy industry and aquaculture. Despite the underlying potential in formulation of functional food/feed, extensive research and development efforts are still required before microalgae at large become a commercial reality in food and feed formulation.

Techno-economic analysis of microalgal biomass production in 1-ha Green Wall Panel (GWP) plant

Abstract: Abstract The objective of this techno-economic analysis (TEA) was to define the production cost of the microalga Tetraselmis suecica in a 1-ha plant made of “Green Wall Panel-II” (GWP®-II) photobioreactors. The study was based on an energy analysis carried out for a similar plant located in Tuscany (Italy) and considers the steps from inoculum preparation to the wet algal paste. Costs of equipment and materials were obtained from manufacturers and suppliers, while operating costs and output data (e.g. biomass composition and productivity) were collected during several years of trials at the Fotosintetica & Microbiologica S.r.l. facilities (Florence, Italy). Other data were obtained from Microalghe Camporosso S.r.l. (Imperia, Italy), where a commercial 1500-m2 GWP®-I plant is in operation and two 250-m2 GWP®-II modules were built and used in the framework of the EU project BIOFAT. This TEA shows that, given a productivity of 36 tonnes per hectare per year, T. suecica biomass can be produced at a cost of €12.4 kg− 1 (dry weight). Using conservative assumptions it was estimated that at the 100-ha scale the cost will be €5.1 kg− 1. Locating the plant in more favorable climatic conditions (e.g. in Tunisia) will allow reaching 54 tonnes per hectare annually and reducing cost to €6.2 kg− 1 at the 1-ha scale and to €3.2 kg− 1 at the 100-ha scale. The major cost factors are labor at 1-ha scale in Tuscany and capital expenses in all the other cases. This TEA confirms that microalgal technologies have high potential not only for high-value, but also for medium- and low-value products, while the production of biofuels, protein, food and feed seems currently out of reach. However, the global scenario of agriculture commodities is rapidly changing and other factors (e.g. sustainability), besides a pure economic evaluation, will assume greater importance in the future.