Microalgae Proteins as Sustainable Ingredients in Novel Foods: Recent Developments and Challenges

Abstract

Microalgae are receiving increased attention in the food sector as a sustainable ingredient due to their high protein content and nutritional value. They contain up to 70% proteins with the presence of all 20 essential amino acids, thus fulfilling human dietary requirements. Microalgae are considered sustainable and environmentally friendly compared to traditional protein sources as they require less land and a reduced amount of water for cultivation. Although microalgae's potential in nutritional quality and functional properties is well documented, no reviews have considered an in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of their addition to foods. The present work discusses recent findings on microalgae with respect to their protein content and nutritional quality, placing a special focus on formulated food products containing microalgae proteins. Several challenges are encountered in the production, processing, and commercialization of foods containing microalgae proteins. Solutions presented in recent studies highlight the future research and directions necessary to provide solutions for consumer acceptability of microalgae proteins and derived products.

Keywords: extraction; in vitro digestibility; microalgae; microalgae-enriched foods; sustainable proteins.

Figure 2

Comparative graph representing the protein content of conventional animal-, fungal-, and plant-based foods and different microalgae species. Adapted from [13,27,28,29,30].

Figure 1

Scientific publications from 1971 to 2023 matching the keyword “microalgae proteins” from Web of Science (https://www.webofscience.com/) accessed on 13 October 2023.

Figure 3

Steps involved in the production of proteins and bioactive compounds from microalgae [4].

Figure 4

Detection of the isoelectric point of the soluble extract of Arthrospira platensis [71].

Figure 5

Gelation of water-soluble proteins extracted from C. sorokiniana at different protein concentrations (A = Tset = 80 °C for 10 min), and different Tset (B = protein concentration 9.9 g/100 mL) taken from [64].

Figure 6

(A) Change in volume of bread dough prepared with different concentrations of Chlorella vulgaris, after 1 h of fermentation at 37 °C. (B) Farinograph analysis of control bread (without C. vulgaris) and bread produced with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 g C. vulgaris/100 g WF (B) taken from [102].