Arthrospira platensis as future food: a review on functional ingredients, bioactivities and application in the food industry

Abstract

SummaryThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐2019) pandemic and other factors have significantly increased the number of people suffering from food shortages worldwide in 2020. As many as 720–811 million people, which is nearly 10% of the global population, are facing hunger. Thus, the need for substances that fulfil human nutritional requirements is growing to address this issue. Arthrospira platensis (A. platensis), commonly or commercially called spirulina, is an ideal product that contains various functional ingredients. Given them, various health benefits of A. platensis are proven gradually, including anti‐oxidant, immune regulation, anti‐inflammation, hypoglycaemia, anti‐bacterial and anti‐radiation properties. In recent years, functional ingredients of A. platensis are showing the potential to be functional foods. This paper gives an overview on the functional ingredients and the resulting health benefits of A. platensis summarises the research progress of A. platensis as functional foods in recent years and looks forward to its application development prospects.

Spirulina platensis and Phaeodactylum tricornutum as sustainable sources of bioactive compounds: Health implications and applications in the food industry

“…The amino acid composition of S. platensis contributes to its high protein content, which can be as much as 60%-70% of its dry weight. This protein is considered a complete protein source, as it provides all the essential amino acids needed by the human body (Chang & Liu, 2023). Moreover, the presence of these essential amino acids makes S. platensis a valuable protein source, especially for individuals following vegetarian or vegan diets.…”

“…The world is currently experiencing food shortages, particularly regarding nutritionally complete and abundant foods. Microalgae have gained attention due to their low environmental requirements and high reproductive yield (Chang & Liu, 2023). S. platensis is the most studied cyanobacteria species for both pharmacological applications and the food industry, while P. tricornutum has been recognized as a possible molecular model among about 100,000 different diatom species, but its biochemical composition and availability as food have not been extensively elucidated.…”