Abstract
Microalgae produce a variety of bioactive components that provide benefits to human and animal health. Cryptophytes are one of the major groups of microalgae, with more than 20 genera comprised of 200 species. Recently, cryptophytes have attracted scientific attention because of their characteristics and biotechnological potential. For example, they are rich in a number of chemical compounds, such as fatty acids, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins and polysaccharides, which are mainly used for food, medicine, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This paper provides a review of studies that assess protective algal compounds and introduce cryptophytes as a remarkable source of bioactive components that may be usable in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.
Highlights
In recent years, commercial and scientific attention has remarkably boosted the interest in natural products from aquatic organisms, especially algae - both macroscopic algae and microalgae
The aim of this review is to summarize the promising microalgal compounds, with special emphasis on compounds derived from cryptophyte algae
Cryptophytes are productive in suitable growth conditions, and are biologically active and chemically unique, representing secondary metabolites that could be widely used in nutraceuticals, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals
Summary
Commercial and scientific attention has remarkably boosted the interest in natural products from aquatic organisms, especially algae - both macroscopic algae and microalgae. Microalgae are broadly considered as good sources of fiber, minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, pigments, steroids, lectins, polysaccharides, proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and other lipids (Blunt et al, 2012; Aditya et al, 2016). These products can be commercially used in a variety of applications, for example in human and animal nutrition, in cosmetics and beauty products, and for the synthesis of antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial and anticancer drugs (Cardozo et al, 2017; Rizwan et al, 2018). Of the estimated 200,000–800,000 microalgal species, only about 35,000 strains are scientifically described (Cheng and Ogden, 2011), only few of which are commercially employed
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