Nutritional Potential and Toxicological Evaluation of Tetraselmis sp. CTP4 Microalgal Biomass Produced in Industrial Photobioreactors

Abstract

Commercial production of microalgal biomass for food and feed is a recent worldwide trend. Although it is common to publish nutritional data for microalgae grown at the lab-scale, data about industrial strains cultivated in an industrial setting are scarce in the literature. Thus, here we present the nutritional composition and a microbiological and toxicological evaluation of Tetraselmis sp. CTP4 biomass, cultivated in 100-m3 photobioreactors at an industrial production facility (AlgaFarm). This microalga contained high amounts of protein (31.2 g/100 g), dietary fibres (24.6 g/100 g), digestible carbohydrates (18.1 g/100 g) and ashes (15.2 g/100 g), but low lipid content (7.04 g/100 g). The biomass displayed a balanced amount of essential amino acids, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and starch-like polysaccharides. Significant levels of chlorophyll (3.5 g/100 g), carotenoids (0.61 g/100 g), and vitamins (e.g., 79.2 mg ascorbic acid /100 g) were also found in the biomass. Conversely, pathogenic bacteria, heavy metals, cyanotoxins, mycotoxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides were absent. The biomass showed moderate antioxidant activity in several in vitro assays. Taken together, as the biomass produced has a balanced biochemical composition of macronutrients and (pro-)vitamins, lacking any toxic contaminants, these results suggest that this strain can be used for nutritional applications.

Challenging microalgal vitamins for human health

“…Also, feeding nori to vitamin B 12 -deficient rats yielded a 1.9-fold increase in hepatic levels of total B 12 compared to those without nori supplementation [ 180 ]. Therefore, algal foods offer one of the few vegetarian alternatives for cobalamin in the diet [ 181 ].…”

“…A significant increase of ascorbic acid production (0.79 mg ascorbic acid g −1 ) has also been obtained in Tetraselmis sp. cultivated in 100 m 3 photobioreactors [ 181 ]. Light climate—spectrum and intensity—variations tuned up the production of ascorbic acid in the diatom Skeletonema marinoi [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Optimization of Lutein Recovery from Tetraselmis suecica by Response Surface Methodology

“…Tetraselmis suecica , the green algae, is widely used in aquaculture as a common nutrition source of aquatic species [ 9 ]. T. suecica consists of carbohydrates (22.4%), lipids (8.0%), proteins (48.7%), ash (17.5%) and bioactive compounds such as pigments (0.04%), vitamins and minerals [ 10 ]. Lutein, a fat-soluble pigment belonging to the carotenoid family, was known to have health benefits including antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties and the prevention of cardiovascular and Alzheimer’s disease [ 11 ].…”

Isolation, Identification and Biotechnological Applications of a Novel, Robust, Free-living Chlorococcum (Oophila) amblystomatis Strain Isolated from a Local Pond

“…Interestingly, these proteins, and peptides thereof, are very interesting for functional food applications due to their biological activities, in particular those related to the prevention and reduction of hypertension, oxidative stress, cancer, diabetes, inflammation, and immune disorders [9]. Moreover, as microalgae contain large amounts of pigments (e.g., carotenoids), many of them with known antioxidant properties and biomedically relevant bioactivities, microalgal biomass can be used to fortify or supplement food, feed, and cosmetics, improving their basic market value while providing increased health benefits [10]. This is in line with the expected increase in the worldwide market size of natural pigments fueled by a growing demand for such products by the consumers [3,5].…”