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Special Issue "Marine Microalgal Functional Foods"

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A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 10360

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Feng Chen

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Guest Editor

Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: microalgal biotechnology; functional foods; marine biotechnology; natural products; food and nutrition

Prof. Dr. Ka-Wing Cheng

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Guest Editor

Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518960, China
Interests: food safety control; natural product chemistry; food functionality

Dr. Jin Liu

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Guest Editor

College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: algal biology; algal biotechnology; metabolic engineering; high-value microalgal products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microalgae, especially marine microalgae, are rich resources of bioactive compounds and functional foods, many of which are of high value. However, the applications in these areas are still limited because of the poor understanding of microalgal characteristics, mass cultivation technologies, and the bioactivities and functionalities of microalgal products. In this issue, we will focus on the development of marine microalgal functional foods. Experts in this interdisciplinary area of microalgal research and applications will be invited to contribute results of recent advances of their research. I am sure that this effort will lead to significant progress in this highly promising research area.

Prof. Dr. Feng Chen
Prof. Dr. Ka-Wing Cheng
Dr. Jin Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

microalgae
marine microalgae
bioactivity
functional foods
biotechnology
microalgal cultivation
food nutrition
food safety
nutrition of microalgal products
nutraceuticals

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1733 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Antioxidative Peptides Derived from Arthrospira maxima in the Biorefinery Process after Extraction of C-Phycocyanin and Lipids

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Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(3), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21030146 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1117

Abstract

Arthrospira maxima has been identified as a sustainable source of rich proteins with diverse functionalities and bioactivities. After extracting C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and lipids in a biorefinery process, the spent biomass still contains a large proportion of proteins with potential for biopeptide production. In this study, the residue was digested using Papain, Alcalase, Trypsin, Protamex 1.6, and Alcalase 2.4 L at different time intervals. The resulting hydrolyzed product with the highest antioxidative activity, evaluated through their scavenging capability of hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anion, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), was selected for further fractionation and purification to isolate and identify biopeptides. Alcalase 2.4 L was found to produce the highest antioxidative hydrolysate product after four-hour hydrolysis. Fractionating this bioactive product using ultrafiltration obtained two fractions with different molecular weights (MW) and antioxidative activity. The low-molecular-weight fraction (LMWF) with MW <3 kDa had higher DPPH scavenging activity with the IC₅₀ value of 2.97 ± 0.33 compared to 3.76 ± 0.15 mg/mL of the high-molecular-weight fraction (HMWF) with MW >3 kDa. Two stronger antioxidative fractions (F-A and F-B) with the respective significant lower IC₅₀ values of 0.83 ± 0.22 and 1.52 ± 0.29 mg/mL were isolated from the LMWF using gel filtration with a Sephadex G-25 column. Based on LC-MS/MS analysis of the F-A, 230 peptides derived from 108 A. maxima proteins were determined. Notably, different antioxidative peptides possessing various bioactivities, including antioxidation, were detected with high predicted scores together with in silico analyses on their stability and toxicity. This study established knowledge and technology to further value-add to the spent A. maxima biomass by optimizing hydrolysis and fraction processes to produce antioxidative peptides with Alcalase 2.4 L after two products already produced in a biorefinery. These bioactive peptides have potential applications in food and nutraceutical products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)

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15 pages, 2270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exogenous Arachidonic Acid Affects Fucoxanthin Biosynthesis and Photoprotection in Phaeodactylum tricornutum

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Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(10), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20100644 - 17 Oct 2022

Viewed by 1298

Abstract

Fucoxanthin is an oxygenated carotenoid component that has been reported to play important roles in anti-oxidation, anti-obesity and anti-cancer in the human body. Fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes participate in light harvesting and photoprotection in diatom. In order to better understand the change of fucoxanthin content and its role in photoprotection, the growth, fucoxanthin biosynthesis and photosynthetic phenotypes were studied in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum under the treatment of exogenous arachidonic acid (AA). Our results demonstrated that even low concentration of AA at 0.1 mg/L strongly induced fucoxanthin accumulation in algal cells to a maximum of 1.1 mg/g dry weight (DW), which was 36.6% higher than that in the untreated ones. By principal component analysis (PCA), we also identified a close correlation between fucoxanthin accumulation and the expression of genes involved in fucoxanthin biosynthesis, especially phytoene synthase (PSY), suggesting that AA change the metabolism of fucoxanthin by inducing carotenoid metabolic enzymes at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, we found that the exogenous application of AA affected non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and photoinhibition, which resulted from the changed diadinoxanthin (DD) and diatoxanthin (DT) cycle, and thus played an important role in photoprotection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)

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13 pages, 2852 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mixotrophic Cultivation Optimization of Microalga Euglena pisciformis AEW501 for Paramylon Production

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Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(8), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20080518 - 14 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1839

Abstract

Euglena, a flagellated unicellular protist, has recently received widespread attention for various high-value metabolites, especially paramylon, which was only found in Euglenophyta. The limited species and low biomass of Euglena has impeded paramylon exploitation and utilization. This study established an optimal cultivation method of Euglena pisciformis AEW501 for paramylon production under mixotrophic cultivation. The results showed that the optimum mixotrophic conditions were 20 °C, pH 7.0, and 63 μmol photons m⁻²∙s⁻¹, and the concentrations of sodium acetate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate were 0.98 g L⁻¹ and 0.79 g L⁻¹, respectively. The maximal biomass and paramylon content were 0.72 g L⁻¹ and 71.39% of dry weight. The algal powder contained more than 16 amino acids, 6 vitamins, and 10 unsaturated fatty acids under the optimal cultivation. E. pisciformis paramylon was pure β-1,3-glucan-type polysaccharide (the purity was up to 99.13 ± 0.61%) composed of linear glucose chains linked together by β-1,3-glycosidic bonds. These findings present a valuable basis for the industrial exploitation of paramylon with E. pisciformis AEW501. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)

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12 pages, 2571 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Insights into Xanthophylls and Lipidomic Profile Changes Induced by Glucose Supplementation in the Marine Diatom Nitzschia laevis

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Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(7), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20070456 - 14 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1382

Abstract

Nitzschia laevis is a candidate microorganism for bioactive compounds (fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) production. In this study, the impacts of glucose-induced trophic transition on biomass, photosynthesis, pigments, and lipid profiles were examined. The specific growth rate was increased under glucose addition, achieved at 0.47 day⁻¹ (0.26 ± 0.01 day⁻¹ for the group without glucose in medium). However, the photosynthetic parameters and pigments including chlorophylls, fucoxanthin, and diatoxanthin were reduced. The net yield of EPA doubled under glucose addition, reaching 20.36 ± 1.22 mg/L in 4 days. In addition, the alteration in detailed lipid molecular species was demonstrated with a focus on EPA-enriched lipids. The effects of 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) indicated that glucose phosphorylation was involved in glucose-induced regulation. These findings provide novel data for guiding the application of this diatom strain in the functional food industries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)

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19 pages, 2786 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nutrient Deprivation Coupled with High Light Exposure for Bioactive Chrysolaminarin Production in the Marine Microalga Isochrysis zhangjiangensis

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Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(6), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20060351 - 26 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1622

Abstract

Chrysolaminarin, a kind of water-soluble bioactive β-glucan produced by certain microalgae, is a potential candidate for food/pharmaceutical applications. This study identified a marine microalga Isochrysis zhangjiangensis, in which chrysolaminarin production was investigated via nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, or sulfur) deprivations (-N, -P, or -S conditions) along with an increase in light intensity. A characterization of the antioxidant activities of the chrysolaminarin produced under each condition was also conducted. The results showed that nutrient deprivation caused a significant increase in chrysolaminarin accumulation, though this was accompanied by diminished biomass production and photosynthetic activity. -S was the best strategy to induce chrysolaminarin accumulation. An increase in light intensity from 80 (LL) to 150 (HL) µE·m⁻²·s⁻¹ further enhanced chrysolaminarin production. Compared with -N, -S caused more suitable stress and reduced carbon allocation toward neutral lipid production, which enabled a higher chrysolaminarin accumulation capacity. The highest chrysolaminarin content and concentration reached 41.7% of dry weight (%DW) and 632.2 mg/L, respectively, under HL-S, with a corresponding productivity of 155.1 mg/L/day achieved, which exceeds most of the photoautotrophic microalgae previously reported. The chrysolaminarin produced under HL-N (Iz-N) had a relatively competitive hydroxyl radical scavenging activity at low concentrations, while the chrysolaminarin produced under HL-S (Iz-S) exhibited an overall better activity, comparable to the commercial yeast β-glucan, demonstrating I. zhangjiangensis as a promising bioactive chrysolaminarin producer from CO₂. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)

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20 pages, 3869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Production from Filamentous Microalga Tribonema aequale: From Laboratory to Pilot-Scale Study

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Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(6), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20060343 - 24 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1935

Abstract

It has long been explored to use EPA-rich unicellular microalgae as a fish oil alternative for production of the high-value omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5, n-3). However, none of the efforts have ever reached commercial success. This study reported a filamentous yellow-green microalga Tribonema aequale that possesses the ability to grow rapidly and synthesize significant amounts of EPA. A series of studies were conducted in a glass column photobioreactor under laboratory culture conditions and in pilot-scale open raceway ponds outdoors. The emphasis was placed on the specific nutrient requirements and the key operational parameters in raceway ponds such as culture depth and mixing regimes. When optimized, T. aequale cells contained 2.9% of EPA (w/w) and reached a very high biomass concentration of 9.8 g L⁻¹ in the glass column photobioreactor. The cellular EPA content was increased further to 3.5% and the areal biomass and EPA productivities of 16.2 g m⁻² d⁻¹ and 542.5 mg m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively, were obtained from the outdoor pilot-scale open raceway ponds, which were the record high figures reported thus far from microalgae-based EPA production. It was also observed that T. aequale was highly resistant to microbial contamination and easy for harvesting and dewatering, which provide two additional competitive advantages of this filamentous microalga over the unicellular counterparts for potential commercial production of EPA and other derived co-products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)

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