TY - JOUR
T1 - Recent developments in the production and utilization of photosynthetic microorganisms for food applications
AU - Barone, Giovanni D.
AU - Cernava, Tomislav
AU - Ullmann, Jörg
AU - Liu, Jing
AU - Lio, Elia
AU - Germann, Anna T.
AU - Nakielski, Andreas
AU - Russo, David A.
AU - Chavkin, Ted
AU - Knufmann, Kirstin
AU - Tripodi, Farida
AU - Coccetti, Paola
AU - Secundo, Francesco
AU - Fu, Pengcheng
AU - Pfleger, Brian
AU - Axmann, Ilka M.
AU - Lindblad, Peter
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - The growing use of photosynthetic microorganisms for food and food-related applications is driving related biotechnology research forward. Increasing consumer acceptance, high sustainability, demand of eco-friendly sources for food, and considerable global economic concern are among the main factors to enhance the focus on the novel foods. In the cases of not toxic strains, photosynthetic microorganisms not only provide a source of sustainable nutrients but are also potentially healthy. Several published studies showed that microalgae are sources of accessible protein and fatty acids. More than 400 manuscripts were published per year in the last 4 years. Furthermore, industrial approaches utilizing these microorganisms are resulting in new jobs and services. This is in line with the global strategy for bioeconomy that aims to support sustainable development of bio-based sectors. Despite the recognized potential of the microalgal biomass value chain, significant knowledge gaps still exist especially regarding their optimized production and utilization. This review highlights the potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria for food and food-related applications as well as their market size. The chosen topics also include advanced production as mixed microbial communities, production of high-value biomolecules, photoproduction of terpenoid flavoring compounds, their utilization for sustainable agriculture, application as source of nutrients in space, and a comparison with heterotrophic microorganisms like yeast to better evaluate their advantages over existing nutrient sources. This comprehensive assessment should stimulate further interest in this highly relevant research topic.
AB - The growing use of photosynthetic microorganisms for food and food-related applications is driving related biotechnology research forward. Increasing consumer acceptance, high sustainability, demand of eco-friendly sources for food, and considerable global economic concern are among the main factors to enhance the focus on the novel foods. In the cases of not toxic strains, photosynthetic microorganisms not only provide a source of sustainable nutrients but are also potentially healthy. Several published studies showed that microalgae are sources of accessible protein and fatty acids. More than 400 manuscripts were published per year in the last 4 years. Furthermore, industrial approaches utilizing these microorganisms are resulting in new jobs and services. This is in line with the global strategy for bioeconomy that aims to support sustainable development of bio-based sectors. Despite the recognized potential of the microalgal biomass value chain, significant knowledge gaps still exist especially regarding their optimized production and utilization. This review highlights the potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria for food and food-related applications as well as their market size. The chosen topics also include advanced production as mixed microbial communities, production of high-value biomolecules, photoproduction of terpenoid flavoring compounds, their utilization for sustainable agriculture, application as source of nutrients in space, and a comparison with heterotrophic microorganisms like yeast to better evaluate their advantages over existing nutrient sources. This comprehensive assessment should stimulate further interest in this highly relevant research topic.
KW - Bioactive compounds
KW - Cyanobacteria
KW - Landless food production
KW - Microalgae
KW - Microalgal-bacterial consortia
KW - Novel food-related applications
KW - Photosynthetic microorganisms
KW - Phototrophic support in space
KW - Sustainable agriculture
KW - Terpenoid flavoring compounds
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151293596&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14708
DO - 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14708
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85151293596
SN - 2405-8440
VL - 9
JO - Heliyon
JF - Heliyon
IS - 4
M1 - e14708
ER -