Microalgae in Biotechnological Application: A Commercial Approach
01 Jan 2015-pp 27-47
TL;DR: The aim of this review is to summarize the commercial applications of microalgae.
Abstract: Microalgae are used as food, feed, and fodder and also used to produce a wide range of metabolites such as, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, carotenoids, vitamins, fatty acids, sterols, etc. They are able to enhance the nutritional content of conventional food and feed preparations and hence positively affect humans and animal health including aquaculture animals. They also provide a key tool for phycoremediation of toxic metals and nanometal production. The use of microalgae in nanotechnology is a promising field of research with a green approach. The use of genetically modified algae for better production of different biotechnological compounds of interests is popular nowadays. Microalgal biomass production for sustainable biofuel production together with other high-value compounds in a cost-effective way is the major challenge of algal biotechnologists. Microalgal biotechnology is similar to conventional agriculture but has received quite a lot of attention over the last decades, because they can reach substantially higher productivities than traditional crops and can use the wastelands and the large marine ecosystem. As history has shown, research studies on microalgae have been numerous and varied, but they have not always resulted in commercial applications. The aim of this review is to summarize the commercial applications of microalgae.
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TL;DR: This comprehensive review summarizes the most important and recent developments of microalgae use as supplement or feed additive to replace fishmeal and fish oil for use in aquaculture.
Abstract: Due to the rapid global expansion of the aquaculture industry, access to key feedstuffs (fishmeal and fish oil) is becoming increasingly limited because of the finite resources available for wild fish harvesting. This has resulted in other sources of feedstuffs being investigated, namely plant origin substitutes for fishmeal and fish oil for aquafeed. Conventional land-based crops have been favored for some applications as substitutes for a portion of the fishmeal, but they can result in changes in the nutritional quality of the fish produced. Microalgae can be regarded as a promising alternative that can replace fishmeal and fish oil and ensure sustainability standards in aquaculture. They have a potential for use in aquaculture as they are sources of protein, lipid, vitamins, minerals, pigments, etc. This comprehensive review summarizes the most important and recent developments of microalgae use as supplement or feed additive to replace fishmeal and fish oil for use in aquaculture. It also reflects the microalgal nutritional quality and digestibility of microalgae-based aquafeed. Simultaneously, safety and regulatory aspects of microalgae feed applications, major challenges on the use microalgae in aquafeed in commercial production, and future research and development perspective are also presented in a critical manner. This review will serve as a useful guide to present current status of knowledge and highlight key areas for future development of a microalgae-based aquafeed industry and overall development of a sustainable aquaculture industry.
261 citations
Cites background from "Microalgae in Biotechnological Appl..."
...The insertion of genes or genetic manipulation of microalgae can improve the nutritional quality of microalgae which could eventually increase the quality of fish fed with aquafeed (supplemented with microalgae) (Li and Tsai 2009; Khatoon and Pal 2015)....
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TL;DR: An overview on Chlorella and Spirulina microalgae particularly as an alternative source of functional foods nutraceuticals and food supplements in which the following compound groups were addressed I Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids II Phenolic Compounds III Volatile Compounds IV Sterols V Proteins Amino Acids Peptides VI Vitamins VII Polysaccharides VIII Pigments and IX Food as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Chlorella nbsp and nbsp Spirulina are the two of the most well known microalgae genus Both microalgae genus have a significant content of proteins vitamins pigments fatty acids sterols among others which make their production application by the food industry quite interesting nbsp Chlorella genus is a eukaryotic microorganism whereas Spirulina genus cyanobacteria is a prokaryotic microorganism The aim of this review was to provide an overview on Chlorella and Spirulina microalgae particularly as an alternative source of functional foods nutraceuticals and food supplements in which the following compound groups were addressed I Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids II Phenolic Compounds III Volatile Compounds IV Sterols V Proteins Amino Acids Peptides VI Vitamins VII Polysaccharides VIII Pigments and IX Food Chlorella and Spirulina microalgae and their derivatives are concluded not to be widely commercially exploited However they are remarkable sources of functional foods nutraceuticals and food supplements
173 citations
Cites background from "Microalgae in Biotechnological Appl..."
...Table 1: Chlorella and Spirulina commercialized for human nutrition [31]....
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TL;DR: The methods of mass production of cyanobacterial biofertilizers and their applications in agriculture and industrial level are described.
Abstract: Continuous increase in global human population and depletion of natural resources of energy posing threat to environment needs, sustainable supply of food and energy. The most ecofriendly approach 'green technology' has been exploited for biofertilizer preparation. Cyanobacteria are the most successful and sustained prokaryotic organism during the course of evolution. They are considered as one of the primitive life forms found on our planet. Cyanobacteria are emerging candidates for efficiently conversion of radiant energy into chemical energy. This biological system produces oxygen as a by-product. Cyanobacterial biomass can also be used for the large scale production of food, energy, biofertilizers, secondary metabolites, cosmetics and medicines. Therefore, cyanobacteria are used in ecofriendly sustainable agricultural practice for production of biomass of very high value and decreasing the level of CO2. This review article describes the methods of mass production of cyanobacterial biofertilizers and their applications in agriculture and industrial level.
133 citations
Cites background from "Microalgae in Biotechnological Appl..."
...There are many techniques have been developed to maintain these parameters; however, the associated costs usually, offset the cost advantage of using natural sunlight [84]....
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...Transparent material such as plastic or glass is used for making vessels which are placed outdoors in the natural light for illumination [84]....
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TL;DR: In this article, the level of nitrogen and phosphorus required for microalgae cultivation and the benefits of using these nutrients for increasing the biomass productivity of micro-algae for improved lipid and fatty acid quantities.
Abstract: Microalgae can be used as a source of alternative food, animal feed, biofuel, fertilizer, cosmetics, nutraceuticals and for pharmaceutical purposes. The extraction of organic constituents from microalgae cultivated in the different nutrient compositions is influenced by microalgal growth rates, biomass yield and nutritional content in terms of lipid and fatty acid production. In this context, nutrient composition plays an important role in microalgae cultivation, and depletion and excessive sources of this nutrient might affect the quality of biomass. Investigation on the role of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are crucial for the growth of algae, has been addressed. However, there are challenges for enhancing nutrient utilization efficiently for large scale microalgae cultivation. Hence, this study aims to highlight the level of nitrogen and phosphorus required for microalgae cultivation and focuses on the benefits of nitrogen and phosphorus for increasing biomass productivity of microalgae for improved lipid and fatty acid quantities. Furthermore, the suitable extraction methods that can be used to utilize lipid and fatty acids from microalgae for biofuel have also been reviewed.
127 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide details on different aspects of the cyanobacterial system that can help in developing sustainable agricultural practices and discuss their merits and demerits in terms of economic profitability.
Abstract: Sustainable supply of food and energy without posing any threat to environment is the current demand of our society in view of continuous increase in global human population and depletion of natural resources of energy. Cyanobacteria have recently emerged as potential candidates who can fulfil abovementioned needs due to their ability to efficiently harvest solar energy and convert it into biomass by simple utilization of CO2, water and nutrients. During conversion of radiant energy into chemical energy, these biological systems produce oxygen as a by-product. Cyanobacterial biomass can be used for the production of food, energy, biofertilizers, secondary metabolites of nutritional, cosmetics and medicinal importance. Therefore, cyanobacterial farming is proposed as environment friendly sustainable agricultural practice which can produce biomass of very high value. Additionally, cyanobacterial farming helps in decreasing the level of greenhouse gas, i.e., CO2, and it can be also used for removing various contaminants from wastewater and soil. However, utilization of cyanobacteria for resolving the abovementioned problems is subjected to economic viability. In this review, we provide details on different aspects of cyanobacterial system that can help in developing sustainable agricultural practices. We also describe different large-scale cultivation systems for cyanobacterial farming and discuss their merits and demerits in terms of economic profitability.
121 citations
Cites background from "Microalgae in Biotechnological Appl..."
...Techniques have been developed to maintain these parameters; however, the associated costs usually offset the cost advantage of using natural sunlight (Khatoon and Pal, 2015)....
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...In these systems, transparent material made up of plastic or glass is used for making vessels which are placed outdoors in the natural light for illumination (Figure 3B) (Khatoon and Pal, 2015)....
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"Microalgae in Biotechnological Appl..." refers background in this paper
...7 Present state of microalgal production (Pulz and Gross 2004 ; Ratledge 2004 ; Hejazi 2004)...
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992 citations