Microalgae as Sustainable Bio-Factories of Healthy Lipids: Evaluating Fatty Acid Content and Antioxidant Activity

Abstract

The demand for sustainable and environmentally friendly food sources and food ingredients is increasing, and microalgae are promoted as a sustainable source of essential and bioactive lipids, with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids (ω-3 FA), comparable to those of fish. However, most FA screening studies on algae are scattered or use different methodologies, preventing a true comparison of its content between microalgae. In this work, we used gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) to characterize the FA profile of seven different commercial microalgae with biotechnological applications (Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorococcum amblystomatis, Scenedesmus obliquus, Tetraselmis chui, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Spirulina sp., and Nannochloropsis oceanica). Screening for antioxidant activity was also performed to understand the relationship between FA profile and bioactivity. Microalgae exhibited specific FA profiles with a different composition, namely in the ω-3 FA profile, but with species of the same phylum showing similar tendencies. The different lipid extracts showed similar antioxidant activities, but with a low activity of the extracts of Nannochloropsis oceanica. Overall, this study provides a direct comparison of FA profiles between microalgae species, supporting the role of these species as alternative, sustainable, and healthy sources of essential lipids.

Seaweed Blends as a Valuable Source of Polyunsaturated and Healthy Fats for Nutritional and Food Applications

“…Similar lipid levels were reported in the literature for the seaweed species from wild origins and from species produced in aquaculture in Europe [9,12,15,37,44]. As expected, the total lipid content was low in comparison with microalgae [45], and all blends were considered as low-fat foods (≤3 g/100 g) (EC no. 1924(EC no.…”

Ethanol Extraction of Polar Lipids from Nannochloropsis oceanica for Food, Feed, and Biotechnology Applications Evaluated Using Lipidomic Approaches

“…In addition, the polar lipids of microalgae, which are the main carriers of omega-3 PUFAs, are also emerging as natural antioxidants. Previous studies have reported the antioxidant potential of polar lipids from microalgae by using both 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH • ) and 2,2 -Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS •+ ) scavenging assays [22][23][24]. Although these methods do not use biologically relevant radicals, they are widely used to screen the antioxidant capacity of potential antioxidant candidates due to their simplicity and the stability of the DPPH • and ABTS •+ radicals [25].…”

Production of microalgae with high lipid content and their potential as sources of nutraceuticals

“…Micronutrients like Cu and Zn which are required in small amounts have a strong impact on microalgal growth because they mediate and control many enzymatic activities in the cell (Yang et al 2018 ). Lack of nitrogen source in the culture media affects microalgal growth and other biosynthetic pathways and the microalgal metabolism will shift towards lipid accumulation (Conde et al 2021 ). Nitrogen depletion has resulted in the highest EPA productivity in N. oceanica IMET 1.…”