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Marine Drugs
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Marine Microalgal Functional Foods
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Marine Microalgal Functional Foods

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 16171

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Feng Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: microalgal biotechnology; functional foods; marine biotechnology; natural products; food and nutrition
Prof. Dr. Ka-Wing Cheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518960, China
Interests: food safety control; natural product chemistry; food functionality
Dr. Jin Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Interests: algal biology; algal biotechnology; metabolic engineering; high-value microalgal products

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microalgae, especially marine microalgae, are rich resources of bioactive compounds and functional foods, many of which are of high value. However, the applications in these areas are still limited because of the poor understanding of microalgal characteristics, mass cultivation technologies, and the bioactivities and functionalities of microalgal products. In this issue, we will focus on the development of marine microalgal functional foods. Experts in this interdisciplinary area of microalgal research and applications will be invited to contribute results of recent advances of their research. I am sure that this effort will lead to significant progress in this highly promising research area.

Prof. Dr. Feng Chen
Prof. Dr. Ka-Wing Cheng
Dr. Jin Liu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microalgae
  • marine microalgae
  • bioactivity
  • functional foods
  • biotechnology
  • microalgal cultivation
  • food nutrition
  • food safety
  • nutrition of microalgal products
  • nutraceuticals

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1733 KiB  
Article
Identification of Antioxidative Peptides Derived from Arthrospira maxima in the Biorefinery Process after Extraction of C-Phycocyanin and Lipids
by Renao Bai, Trung T. Nguyen, Yali Zhou, Yong Diao and Wei Zhang
Mar. Drugs 2023, 21(3), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/md21030146 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2206
Abstract
Arthrospira maxima has been identified as a sustainable source of rich proteins with diverse functionalities and bioactivities. After extracting C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and lipids in a biorefinery process, the spent biomass still contains a large proportion of proteins with potential for biopeptide production. In [...] Read more.
Arthrospira maxima has been identified as a sustainable source of rich proteins with diverse functionalities and bioactivities. After extracting C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and lipids in a biorefinery process, the spent biomass still contains a large proportion of proteins with potential for biopeptide production. In this study, the residue was digested using Papain, Alcalase, Trypsin, Protamex 1.6, and Alcalase 2.4 L at different time intervals. The resulting hydrolyzed product with the highest antioxidative activity, evaluated through their scavenging capability of hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anion, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), was selected for further fractionation and purification to isolate and identify biopeptides. Alcalase 2.4 L was found to produce the highest antioxidative hydrolysate product after four-hour hydrolysis. Fractionating this bioactive product using ultrafiltration obtained two fractions with different molecular weights (MW) and antioxidative activity. The low-molecular-weight fraction (LMWF) with MW <3 kDa had higher DPPH scavenging activity with the IC50 value of 2.97 ± 0.33 compared to 3.76 ± 0.15 mg/mL of the high-molecular-weight fraction (HMWF) with MW >3 kDa. Two stronger antioxidative fractions (F-A and F-B) with the respective significant lower IC50 values of 0.83 ± 0.22 and 1.52 ± 0.29 mg/mL were isolated from the LMWF using gel filtration with a Sephadex G-25 column. Based on LC-MS/MS analysis of the F-A, 230 peptides derived from 108 A. maxima proteins were determined. Notably, different antioxidative peptides possessing various bioactivities, including antioxidation, were detected with high predicted scores together with in silico analyses on their stability and toxicity. This study established knowledge and technology to further value-add to the spent A. maxima biomass by optimizing hydrolysis and fraction processes to produce antioxidative peptides with Alcalase 2.4 L after two products already produced in a biorefinery. These bioactive peptides have potential applications in food and nutraceutical products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)
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15 pages, 2270 KiB  
Article
Exogenous Arachidonic Acid Affects Fucoxanthin Biosynthesis and Photoprotection in Phaeodactylum tricornutum
by Shuaiqi Zhu, Song Bin, Wenda Wang, Shan Lu and Wenqiang Yang
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(10), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20100644 - 17 Oct 2022
Viewed by 2160
Abstract
Fucoxanthin is an oxygenated carotenoid component that has been reported to play important roles in anti-oxidation, anti-obesity and anti-cancer in the human body. Fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes participate in light harvesting and photoprotection in diatom. In order to better understand the change of [...] Read more.
Fucoxanthin is an oxygenated carotenoid component that has been reported to play important roles in anti-oxidation, anti-obesity and anti-cancer in the human body. Fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes participate in light harvesting and photoprotection in diatom. In order to better understand the change of fucoxanthin content and its role in photoprotection, the growth, fucoxanthin biosynthesis and photosynthetic phenotypes were studied in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum under the treatment of exogenous arachidonic acid (AA). Our results demonstrated that even low concentration of AA at 0.1 mg/L strongly induced fucoxanthin accumulation in algal cells to a maximum of 1.1 mg/g dry weight (DW), which was 36.6% higher than that in the untreated ones. By principal component analysis (PCA), we also identified a close correlation between fucoxanthin accumulation and the expression of genes involved in fucoxanthin biosynthesis, especially phytoene synthase (PSY), suggesting that AA change the metabolism of fucoxanthin by inducing carotenoid metabolic enzymes at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, we found that the exogenous application of AA affected non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) and photoinhibition, which resulted from the changed diadinoxanthin (DD) and diatoxanthin (DT) cycle, and thus played an important role in photoprotection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)
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13 pages, 2852 KiB  
Article
Mixotrophic Cultivation Optimization of Microalga Euglena pisciformis AEW501 for Paramylon Production
by Panpan Fan, Yanhua Li, Rui Deng, Feixia Zhu, Fengfeng Cheng, Gaofei Song, Wujuan Mi and Yonghong Bi
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(8), 518; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20080518 - 14 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2873
Abstract
Euglena, a flagellated unicellular protist, has recently received widespread attention for various high-value metabolites, especially paramylon, which was only found in Euglenophyta. The limited species and low biomass of Euglena has impeded paramylon exploitation and utilization. This study established an optimal cultivation [...] Read more.
Euglena, a flagellated unicellular protist, has recently received widespread attention for various high-value metabolites, especially paramylon, which was only found in Euglenophyta. The limited species and low biomass of Euglena has impeded paramylon exploitation and utilization. This study established an optimal cultivation method of Euglena pisciformis AEW501 for paramylon production under mixotrophic cultivation. The results showed that the optimum mixotrophic conditions were 20 °C, pH 7.0, and 63 μmol photons m−2∙s−1, and the concentrations of sodium acetate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate were 0.98 g L−1 and 0.79 g L−1, respectively. The maximal biomass and paramylon content were 0.72 g L−1 and 71.39% of dry weight. The algal powder contained more than 16 amino acids, 6 vitamins, and 10 unsaturated fatty acids under the optimal cultivation. E. pisciformis paramylon was pure β-1,3-glucan-type polysaccharide (the purity was up to 99.13 ± 0.61%) composed of linear glucose chains linked together by β-1,3-glycosidic bonds. These findings present a valuable basis for the industrial exploitation of paramylon with E. pisciformis AEW501. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)
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12 pages, 2571 KiB  
Article
New Insights into Xanthophylls and Lipidomic Profile Changes Induced by Glucose Supplementation in the Marine Diatom Nitzschia laevis
by Xuemei Mao, Xia Wang, Mengdie Ge, Feng Chen and Bin Liu
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(7), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20070456 - 14 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2116
Abstract
Nitzschia laevis is a candidate microorganism for bioactive compounds (fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) production. In this study, the impacts of glucose-induced trophic transition on biomass, photosynthesis, pigments, and lipid profiles were examined. The specific growth rate was increased under glucose addition, achieved [...] Read more.
Nitzschia laevis is a candidate microorganism for bioactive compounds (fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)) production. In this study, the impacts of glucose-induced trophic transition on biomass, photosynthesis, pigments, and lipid profiles were examined. The specific growth rate was increased under glucose addition, achieved at 0.47 day−1 (0.26 ± 0.01 day−1 for the group without glucose in medium). However, the photosynthetic parameters and pigments including chlorophylls, fucoxanthin, and diatoxanthin were reduced. The net yield of EPA doubled under glucose addition, reaching 20.36 ± 1.22 mg/L in 4 days. In addition, the alteration in detailed lipid molecular species was demonstrated with a focus on EPA-enriched lipids. The effects of 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) indicated that glucose phosphorylation was involved in glucose-induced regulation. These findings provide novel data for guiding the application of this diatom strain in the functional food industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)
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19 pages, 2786 KiB  
Article
Nutrient Deprivation Coupled with High Light Exposure for Bioactive Chrysolaminarin Production in the Marine Microalga Isochrysis zhangjiangensis
by Xiuyuan Ran, Yuhan Shen, Dongjian Jiang, Chenqi Wang, Xinghui Li, Haoyu Zhang, Yunyun Pan, Chenglin Xie, Tonghui Xie, Yongkui Zhang and Changhong Yao
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(6), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20060351 - 26 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2515
Abstract
Chrysolaminarin, a kind of water-soluble bioactive β-glucan produced by certain microalgae, is a potential candidate for food/pharmaceutical applications. This study identified a marine microalga Isochrysis zhangjiangensis, in which chrysolaminarin production was investigated via nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, or sulfur) deprivations (-N, -P, or [...] Read more.
Chrysolaminarin, a kind of water-soluble bioactive β-glucan produced by certain microalgae, is a potential candidate for food/pharmaceutical applications. This study identified a marine microalga Isochrysis zhangjiangensis, in which chrysolaminarin production was investigated via nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, or sulfur) deprivations (-N, -P, or -S conditions) along with an increase in light intensity. A characterization of the antioxidant activities of the chrysolaminarin produced under each condition was also conducted. The results showed that nutrient deprivation caused a significant increase in chrysolaminarin accumulation, though this was accompanied by diminished biomass production and photosynthetic activity. -S was the best strategy to induce chrysolaminarin accumulation. An increase in light intensity from 80 (LL) to 150 (HL) µE·m−2·s−1 further enhanced chrysolaminarin production. Compared with -N, -S caused more suitable stress and reduced carbon allocation toward neutral lipid production, which enabled a higher chrysolaminarin accumulation capacity. The highest chrysolaminarin content and concentration reached 41.7% of dry weight (%DW) and 632.2 mg/L, respectively, under HL-S, with a corresponding productivity of 155.1 mg/L/day achieved, which exceeds most of the photoautotrophic microalgae previously reported. The chrysolaminarin produced under HL-N (Iz-N) had a relatively competitive hydroxyl radical scavenging activity at low concentrations, while the chrysolaminarin produced under HL-S (Iz-S) exhibited an overall better activity, comparable to the commercial yeast β-glucan, demonstrating I. zhangjiangensis as a promising bioactive chrysolaminarin producer from CO2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)
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20 pages, 3869 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Production from Filamentous Microalga Tribonema aequale: From Laboratory to Pilot-Scale Study
by Jijian Long, Jing Jia, Yingchun Gong, Danxiang Han and Qiang Hu
Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(6), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20060343 - 24 May 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2904
Abstract
It has long been explored to use EPA-rich unicellular microalgae as a fish oil alternative for production of the high-value omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5, n-3). However, none of the efforts have ever reached commercial success. This study reported a filamentous [...] Read more.
It has long been explored to use EPA-rich unicellular microalgae as a fish oil alternative for production of the high-value omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5, n-3). However, none of the efforts have ever reached commercial success. This study reported a filamentous yellow-green microalga Tribonema aequale that possesses the ability to grow rapidly and synthesize significant amounts of EPA. A series of studies were conducted in a glass column photobioreactor under laboratory culture conditions and in pilot-scale open raceway ponds outdoors. The emphasis was placed on the specific nutrient requirements and the key operational parameters in raceway ponds such as culture depth and mixing regimes. When optimized, T. aequale cells contained 2.9% of EPA (w/w) and reached a very high biomass concentration of 9.8 g L−1 in the glass column photobioreactor. The cellular EPA content was increased further to 3.5% and the areal biomass and EPA productivities of 16.2 g m−2 d−1 and 542.5 mg m−2 d−1, respectively, were obtained from the outdoor pilot-scale open raceway ponds, which were the record high figures reported thus far from microalgae-based EPA production. It was also observed that T. aequale was highly resistant to microbial contamination and easy for harvesting and dewatering, which provide two additional competitive advantages of this filamentous microalga over the unicellular counterparts for potential commercial production of EPA and other derived co-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Microalgal Functional Foods)
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