Sustainable Production of Biofuels from Microalgae Using a Biorefinary Approach - Applied Environmental Biotechnology: Present Scenario and Future Trends - page 120

Table 8.1 Different value added products from microalgae and their application

Product Microalgal species Application Reference

Pigments
ʲ-carotene Dunaliella salina, Botrycococ-

cus sp.

Pigment (food), pro-
vitamin A

(Jayappriyan et al. 2013 )

Astaxanthin Heamatococcous pluvialis,

Chlorella zofingiensis, Chlam-
ydomonas nivalis, Scenedesmus
obliquus, Chlorococcum sp.

Nutraceuticals, pharma-
ceuticals, food and feed
industries

(Guerin et al. 2003 ; Jian-Ping
Yuan et al. 2002 ; Qin et al.
2008 ; Rezanka et al. 2013 ;
Sun et al. 2008 )

Canthaxanthin Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorococ-

cum sp.

Synthetic pigment (Gouveia et al. 2007 ; Jian-

Ping Yuan et al. 2002 )

Phycobilins (Phyco-
cyanin, allophycocyanin,
phycoerythrin)

Spirulina sp. , Porphyridium sp. Fluorescent dye,

antioxidant

(Munier et al. 2014 ; R.
Sarada et al. 1999 )

Zeaxanthin Chlorella pyrenoidosa,

Dunaliella salina

Antioxidant (Cowan et al. 1995 ; Inbaraj

et al. 2006 )

Lutein Scenedesmus obliquus, Botryo-

coccus braunii

Nutraceuticals, pharma-
ceuticals, food and feed
industries

(Ho et al. 2014 ; Yen et al.
2013 )

Nutraceuticals
Protein Spirulina platensis, Chlorella

sp.

Human dietary
supplement

(Coca et al. 2014 ; Szabo
et al. 2013 )

Animal food Chlorella, Scenedesmus,

Monoraphidium

aquaculture (Isik et al. 1999 ; Skjanes

et al. 2013 )

E PA Ankistrodesmus sp. , Nannochlo-

ris sp. , Chlamydomonas

Dietary supplement (Wijffels et al. 2013 ; Xie

et al. 2013 )

Bioactive compounds
Phycolectins Chlamydomonas sp. , Chlorella

sp.

Hemagglutinin activity (Plaza et al. 2010 )

Polysaccharides Chlorella pyrenoidosa Anticancer activity (Cardozo et al. 2007 ; Erma-

kova et al. 2013 )

Halogenated compounds Laurencia sp. Taxonomical marker (Faulkner 2001 )

(Folic acid), B12 (Cobalamin), C (L-Ascorbic
acid), D, E (Tocopherol), and H (Biotin). Mi-
croalgae contains essential elements including:
Potassium, Zinc, Iodine, Selenium, Iron, Man-
ganese, Copper, Phosphorus, Sodium, Nitrogen,
Magnesium, Cobalt, Molybdenum, Sulfur, and
Calcium and also produces essential amino acids
and Omega-6 (Arachidonic acid) and Omega-3
(Docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid)
fatty acids (Spolaore et al. 2006 ; Yen et al. 2013 ).
Chlorella sp. is the most successfully com-
mercialized green algae with an annual produc-
tion of 2000 metric t of dry powder. Chlorella
and Spirullina are consumed in Taiwan and Japan
as health food. Chlorella (lutein, vitamin B12),
Spirullina (single-cell protein) Haematococcus
(antioxidant) and Dunaliella (ʲ- carotene) are

the most popular nutraceuticals sources. Human
and animal lack essential enzymes for synthesis
of polyunsaturated fatty acids which is essential
for growth. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a
major structural fatty acid in the grey matter of
the brain, heart tissue, and in the retina of the eye
while eicosapentaenoic acid is a precursor for
hormone like substances which play crucial role
in regulatory physiology (Cardozo et al. 2007 ).
Use of microalgae as animal feed is more popular
nowadays. Some microalgae play an important
role during the life cycle of fish, shrimps, and
molluscs during their larval stage. The most com-
monly used microalgae as animal and fish feed
are Chlorella, Arthospira, Tetraselmis, Isochry-
sis, Pavlova, Phaeodactylum, Chaetoceros, Nan-
nochloropsis, Skeletonema, and Thalassiosira . In