Sustainable Microalgae and Cyanobacteria Biotechnology

Marine organisms are a valuable source of new compounds, many of which have remarkable biotechnological properties, such as microalgae and cyanobacteria, which have attracted special attention to develop new industrial production routes. These organisms are a source of many biologically active molecules in nature, including antioxidants, immunostimulants, antivirals, antibiotics, hemagglutinates, polyunsaturated fatty acids, peptides, proteins, biofuels, and pigments. The use of several technologies to improve biomass production, in the first step, industrial processes schemes have been addressed with different accomplishments. It is critical to consider all steps involved in producing a bioactive valuable compound, such as species and strain selection, nutrient supply required to support productivity, type of photobioreactor, downstream processes, namely extraction, recovery, and purification. In general, two product production schemes can be mentioned; one for large amounts of product, such as biodiesel or any other biofuel and the biomass for feeding purposes; the other for when the product will be used in the human health domain, such as antivirals, antibiotics, antioxidants, etc. Several applications for microalgae have been documented. In general, the usefulness of an application for each species of microalgae is determined by growth and product production. Furthermore, the use of OMICS technologies enabled the development of a new design for human therapeutic recombinant proteins, including strain selection based on previous proteomic profiles, gene cloning, and the development of expression networks. Microalgal expression systems have an advantage over traditional microbial, plant, and mammalian expression systems for new and sustainable microalga applications, for responsible production and consumption.

Automated summary

Marine organisms are a valuable source of new compounds with remarkable biotechnological properties, and their industrial production is attracting special attention. These organisms produce many biologically active molecules, including antioxidants, immunostimulants, antivirals, antibiotics, fatty acids, peptides, proteins, biofuels, and pigments. Several factors, such as species selection, nutrient supply, photobioreactor type, and downstream processes, need to be considered in the production of bioactive compounds. Different production schemes are used for biofuels/biomass and human health products. Microalgae have various applications, determined by their growth and product yield. OMICS technologies facilitate the development of therapeutic recombinant proteins with strain selection based on proteomic profiling. Microalgal expression systems offer advantages for sustainable applications.