Nanoencapsulation of the Bioactive Compounds of Spirulina with a Microalgal Biopolymer Coating

Abstract

Microalgae have been studied in biotechnological processes due to the various biocompounds that can be obtained from their biomasses, including pigments, proteins, antioxidants, biopeptides, fatty acids and biopolymers. Microalgae biopolymers are biodegradable materials that present similar characteristics to traditional polymers, with the advantage of being rapidly degraded when discarded. In addition, nanoencapsulation is capable of increasing the availability of bioactive compounds by allowing the release of these biocompounds to occur slowly over time. The use of polymers in the nanoencapsulation of active ingredients can mask the undesired physicochemical properties of the compounds to be encapsulated, thereby enhancing consumer acceptability. This covering also acts as a barrier against several foreign substances that can react with bioactive compounds and reduce their activity. Studies of the development of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) nanocapsules from microbial sources are little explored; this review addresses the use of nanotechnology to obtain bioactive compounds coated with biopolymer nanocapsules, both obtained from Spirulina biomasses. These microalgae are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) certified, which guarantees that the biomass can be used to obtain high added value biocompounds, which can be used in human and animal supplementation.

Supplementation withSpirulina platensisModulates Aortic Vascular Reactivity through Nitric Oxide and Antioxidant Activity

“…Nowadays, the practice of herbal medicine involves the use of more than 53,000 species of natural products for primary health care [1]. Several of these species are of aquatic origin and have drawn the attention of pharmaceutical research, considering that the aquatic environment is rich in natural resources and many biologically active compounds [2]. One group of aquatic organisms that has been highlighted due to its diverse biological activities is the blue-green algae.…”

Dacarbazine nanoparticle topical delivery system for the treatment of melanoma

“…The encapsulation material is referred as the external phase 44 . It allows the drug release as and when required, in brief, it gives us better control of releasing the drug at the targeted site 45 . The efficiency of our formulated nanoencapsulation was estimated to be 67.4 ± 3.5%, which implied that major amount of Dacarbazine was encapsulated in the form of a nanoparticle.…”

Microalgae-Derived Pigments: A 10-Year Bibliometric Review and Industry and Market Trend Analysis

“…Among the value-added products from Spirulina , there is the natural blue pigment called phycocyanin, the major phycobiliprotein found in this microalga [ 50 ]. This pigment was approved to be added into food matrices as a colour additive by the Food and Drug Administration in 2013 [ 51 ], being currently used as a natural colorant in foods such as beverages and confectionery products.…”