Abstract
Microalgae have demonstrated potential to meet the population's need for a more sustainable food supply, specifically with respect to protein demand. These promising protein sources present several advantages over other currently used raw materials from an environmental point of view. Additionally, one of the main characteristics of microalgae is the production of bioactive compounds with potential benefits for human health. Microalgae exploitation as a source of protein (bulk protein) and other valuable products within the food industry still presents some drawbacks, mainly because of the underdeveloped technologies and processes currently available for microalgae processing. The systematic improvement of the technology readiness level (TRL) could help change the current situation if applied to microalgae cultivation and processing. High maturity in microalgae cultivation and processing technologies also requires improvement of the economy of scale and investment of resources in new facilities and research. Antioxidative, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, anticancerogenic, hepato-protective, and anticoagulant activities have been attributed to some microalgae-derived compounds such as peptides. Nevertheless, research on this topic is scarce and the evidence on potential health benefits is not strong. In the last years, the possibility of using microalgae-derived compounds for innovative functional food products has become of great interest, but the literature available mainly focuses more on the addition of the whole cells or some compound already available on the market. This review describes the status of utilising microalgae as an ingredient in innovative food products with potential health benefits.
Highlights
Laboratory of Sustainable Food Processing, Institute of Food Nutrition and Health IFNH, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
The possibility of using microalgae-derived compounds for innovative functional food products has become of great interest, but the literature available mainly focuses more on the addition of the whole cells or some compound already available on the market
This review describes the status of utilising microalgae as an ingredient in innovative food products with potential health benefits
Summary
The amount of food currently produced must double to meet the needs of the expected population of around 9.8 billion people by 2050 [1, 2]. Food production accounts for between 20 and 30% of the total environmental impact [5] and for almost 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions [6]. More than 80% of the protein imported in Europe for livestock nutrition comes from nonEuropean countries, much of it from non-sustainable and environmentally damaging sources [7]. Changing dietary patterns could significantly improve this situation [9] and simultaneously reduce the environmental impact. Taking Germany as an example, switching from an omnivore to an ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet would reduce food-based greenhouse gas emissions by one third, and by half when changing to a vegan diet [10]. In the US, a change to an ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet would reduce energy consumption, even if both meat-based and plant-based diets are challenging in terms of energy, land, and water consumption [11]. Indicators of sustainability such as nutrition, environment, food affordability and availability, sociocultural well-being, resilience, food safety, and waste, considerably differ between high-income and lowincome countries [9, 13]
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