Abstract
Population growth combined with increasingly limited resources of arable land and fresh water has resulted in a need for alternative protein sources. Macroalgae (seaweed) and microalgae are examples of under-exploited “crops”. Algae do not compete with traditional food crops for space and resources. This review details the characteristics of commonly consumed algae, as well as their potential for use as a protein source based on their protein quality, amino acid composition, and digestibility. Protein extraction methods applied to algae to date, including enzymatic hydrolysis, physical processes, and chemical extraction and novel methods such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, pulsed electric field, and microwave-assisted extraction are discussed. Moreover, existing protein enrichment methods used in the dairy industry and the potential of these methods to generate high value ingredients from algae, such as bioactive peptides and functional ingredients are discussed. Applications of algae in human nutrition, animal feed, and aquaculture are examined.
Highlights
The global population is expected to increase by over a third (2.3 billion people) by 2050, requiring an estimated 70% increase in food production [1]
Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina), and Chlorella vulgaris (Chlorella) are sold as functional foods due to their high vitamin and mineral content and as they are generally regarded as safe (GRAS) by the European Food Safety
Reported significantly greater in vitro digestibility in red seaweeds (83%–87%) compared to brown seaweeds (78.7%–82%) [67]. These results demonstrate that seaweed proteins have comparable in vitro digestibility compared to that of other commonly consumed plants, including grains (69%–84%), legumes (72%–92%), fruits (72%–92%), and vegetables (68%–80%) [67]
Summary
The global population is expected to increase by over a third (2.3 billion people) by 2050, requiring an estimated 70% increase in food production [1]. Terrestrial agriculture already requires approximately 75% of the total global freshwater with animal protein in particular requiring 100 times more water than if the equivalent amount of protein was produced from plant sources [6,7]. Marine algae do not require freshwater or arable land to grow, maximising resources that can be used for additional food production or other cash crops [5]. Due to their harsh environment and phototropic life, algae are often exposed to high oxidative and free-radical stresses [8]. The objective of this paper is to discuss the value of algal proteins as a source of human nutrition, functional foods and animal feed, as well as describe current extraction methods and novel processing technologies that are used in dairy processing which may be employed to make algae a viable source of protein ingredients
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