Nutritional characterization of the microalga Ruttnera lamellosa compared to Porphyridium purpureum

Sustainable food and human health are the major concerns of the society in the last decades. Functional foods and nutraceuticals from natural sources such as microalgae are regarded as a solution. In this study the nutritional composition of Ruttnera lamellosa ACOI 339 has been evaluated and compared to the widely studied Porphyridium purpureum. R. lamellosa showed a proximate composition with 8.81% of protein and 43.88% of carbohydrate and also a convenient lack of fiber (0.94%). The strain revealed a lipid content of 2.68% with substantial amount of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially docosahexaenoic fatty acid (C22: 6.3 DHA) representing 6.36% of total fatty acids. The intracellular polysaccharide is rich in xylose, and also a promising antioxidant capacity of 12.02 mg/L equivalent to ascorbic acid was detected as an additional feature of the valuable biomass.