Prospects of microalgae in nutraceuticals production with nanotechnology applications

Nutraceutical supplements provide health benefits, such as fulfilling the lack of nutrients in the human body or being utilized to treat or cure certain diseases. As the world population is growing, certain countries are experiencing food crisis challenges, causing natural foods are not sustainable to be used for nutraceutical production because it will require large-scale of food supply to produce enriched nutraceutics. The high demand for abundant nutritional compounds has made microalgae a reliable source as they can synthesize high-value molecules through photosynthetic activities. However, some microalgae species are limited in growth and unable to accumulate a significant amount of biomass due to several factors related to environmental conditions. Therefore, adding nanoparticles (NPs) as a photocatalyst is considered to enhance the yield rate of microalgae in an energy-saving and economical way. This review focuses on the composition of microalgal biomass for nutraceutical production, the health perspectives of nutritional compounds on humans, and the application of nanotechnology on microalgae for improved production and harvesting. The results obtained show that microalgal-based compounds indeed have better nutrients content than natural foods. However, nanotechnology must be further comprehended to make them non-hazardous and sustainable.

Automated summary

Nutraceutical supplements provide health benefits by fulfilling nutrient deficiencies and treating diseases. Microalgae, with their ability to synthesize high-value molecules through photosynthesis, have become a reliable source for abundant nutritional compounds. However, limited growth and biomass accumulation of some microalgae species have led to the use of nanoparticles as photocatalysts to enhance their yield rate. This review emphasizes the composition of microalgal biomass, the health perspectives of nutritional compounds, and the application of nanotechnology for improved microalgae production and harvesting. The results highlight the superior nutrient content of microalgal-based compounds compared to natural foods, while also emphasizing the need for further research on non-hazardous and sustainable nanotechnology.