Food commodities from microalgae
Open accessAbstract
The prospect of sustainable production of food ingredients from photoautotrophic microalgae was reviewed. Clearly, there is scope for microalgal oils to replace functions of major vegetable oils, and in addition to deliver health benefits to food products. Furthermore, with a limited production surface, a substantial portion of the European Union market could be supplied with edible oils and proteins from microalgae. Yet, before microalgal ingredients can become genuinely sustainable and cost effective alternatives for current food commodities, major breakthroughs in production technology and in biorefinery approaches are required. Moreover, before market introduction, evidence on safety of novel microalgal ingredients, is needed. In general, we conclude that microalgae have a great potential as a sustainable feedstock for food commodities.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The final destination of lipid-enriched biomass can vary from feed or food supplements to biodiesel production, according to the cell location where the lipid is accumulated and its profile.
“According to the cell location where the lipid is accumulated and its profile, the final destination of the lipid‐enriched biomass can vary from feed or food supplements to biodiesel production (Caballero et al., 2003; Draaisma et al., 2013; Li‐Beisson et al., 2019).”
From Perspectives of fluorescence spectroscopy for online monitoring in microalgae industry (2022) · cites this paper as Draaisma et al., 2013
Cites
Food Security: The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People
Godfray, H. C. J., Beddington, J. R., Crute, I. R., Haddad, L., Lawrence, D., Muir, J. F., Pretty, J., Robinson, S., Thomas, S. M., & Toulmin, C. (2010) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1185383 · Cited by 11,943 · see citing works
Chisti, Y. (2007) · Biotechnology Advances · doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2007.02.001 · Cited by 9,524 · see citing works
Rodolfi, L., Chini Zittelli, G., Bassi, N., Padovani, G., Biondi, N., Bonini, G., & Tredici, M. R. (2009) · Biotechnology and Bioengineering · doi:10.1002/bit.22033 · Cited by 2,879 · see citing works
Genetic Engineering of Algae for Enhanced Biofuel Production
Radakovits, R., Jinkerson, R. E., Darzins, A., & Posewitz, M. C. (2010) · Eukaryotic Cell · doi:10.1128/ec.00364-09 · Cited by 1,142 · see citing works
Fatty acid biosynthesis in microorganisms being used for Single Cell Oil production
Ratledge, C. (2004) · Biochimie · doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2004.09.017 · Cited by 1,125 · see citing works
The effect of light, salinity, and nitrogen availability on lipid production by Nannochloropsis sp.
Pal, D., Khozin-Goldberg, I., Cohen, Z., & Boussiba, S. (2011) · Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s00253-011-3170-1 · Cited by 575 · see citing works
Microalgae for the production of bulk chemicals and biofuels
Wijffels, R. H., Barbosa, M. J., & Eppink, M. H. M. (2010) · Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining · doi:10.1002/bbb.215 · Cited by 522 · see citing works
Self-citationGriffiths, M. J., van Hille, R. P., & Harrison, S. T. L. (2012) · Journal of Applied Phycology · doi:10.1007/s10811-011-9723-y · Cited by 341 · see citing works
Guarnieri, M. T., Nag, A., Smolinski, S. L., Darzins, A., Seibert, M., & Pienkos, P. T. (2011) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025851 · Cited by 234 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Khan, M. I., Shin, J. H., & Kim, J. D. (2018) · Microbial Cell Factories · doi:10.1186/s12934-018-0879-x · Cited by 2,082 · see citing works
Techno-economic evaluation of microalgae harvesting and dewatering systems
Fasaei, F., Bitter, J. H., Slegers, P. M., & van Boxtel, A. J. B. (2018) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2017.11.038 · Cited by 621 · see citing works
Microalgae as a future food source
Torres-Tiji, Y., Fields, F. J., & Mayfield, S. P. (2020) · Biotechnology Advances · doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107536 · Cited by 559 · see citing works
Microbial protein: future sustainable food supply route with low environmental footprint
Matassa, S., Boon, N., Pikaar, I., & Verstraete, W. (2016) · Microbial Biotechnology · doi:10.1111/1751-7915.12369 · Cited by 390 · see citing works
Food and feed products from micro-algae: Market opportunities and challenges for the EU
Vigani, M., Parisi, C., Rodríguez-Cerezo, E., Barbosa, M. J., Sijtsma, L., Ploeg, M., & Enzing, C. (2015) · Trends in Food Science & Technology · doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2014.12.004 · Cited by 350 · see citing works
Self-citationChauton, M. S., Reitan, K. I., Norsker, N. H., Tveterås, R., & Kleivdal, H. T. (2015) · Aquaculture · doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2014.10.038 · Cited by 323 · see citing works
Potential application of microalga <i>Spirulina platensis</i> as a protein source
Lupatini, A. L., Colla, L. M., Canan, C., & Colla, E. (2017) · Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture · doi:10.1002/jsfa.7987 · Cited by 291 · see citing works
Breuer, G., Lamers, P. P., Martens, D. E., Draaisma, R. B., & Wijffels, R. H. (2013) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2013.05.105 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
Self-citationRole of Microalgae in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals and Circular Economy
Olabi, A. G., Shehata, N., Sayed, E. T., Rodriguez, C., Anyanwu, R. C., Russell, C., & Abdelkareem, M. A. (2023) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158689 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Molino, A., Iovine, A., Casella, P., Mehariya, S., Chianese, S., Cerbone, A., Rimauro, J., & Musmarra, D. (2018) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph15112436 · Cited by 263 · see citing works
The Impact of Microalgae in Food Science and Technology
Matos, Â. P. (2017) · Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society · doi:10.1007/s11746-017-3050-7 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Kumar, R., Hegde, A. S., Sharma, K., Parmar, P., & Srivatsan, V. (2022) · Food Research International · doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111338 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Chemical Characterization of Six Microalgae with Potential Utility for Food Application
Matos, Â. P., Feller, R., Moecke, E. H. S., de Oliveira, J. V., Junior, A. F., Derner, R. B., & Sant'Anna, E. S. (2016) · Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society · doi:10.1007/s11746-016-2849-y · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Developing algae as a sustainable food source
Diaz, C. J., Douglas, K. J., Kang, K., Kolarik, A. L., Malinovski, R., Torres-Tiji, Y., Molino, J. V., Badary, A., & Mayfield, S. P. (2023) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1029841 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Muys, M., Sui, Y., Schwaiger, B., Lesueur, C., Vandenheuvel, D., Vermeir, P., & Vlaeminck, S. E. (2019) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.12.059 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Microalgae cultivation in photobioreactors: An overview of light characteristics
Wang, S., Stiles, A. R., Guo, C., & Liu, C. (2014) · Engineering in Life Sciences · doi:10.1002/elsc.201300170 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Bio-based products from microalgae cultivated in digestates
Koutra, E., Economou, C. N., Tsafrakidou, P., & Kornaros, M. (2018) · Trends in biotechnology · doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2018.02.015 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Olivieri, G., Salatino, P., & Marzocchella, A. (2014) · Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology · doi:10.1002/jctb.4218 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
Hamilton, M. L., Warwick, J., Terry, A., Allen, M. J., Napier, J. A., & Sayanova, O. (2015) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144054 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Microalgae-based pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals: an emerging field with immense market potential
Jha, D., Jain, V., Sharma, B., Kant, A., & Garlapati, V. K. (2017) · ChemBioEng Reviews · doi:10.1002/cben.201600023 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Assessing microalgae biorefinery routes for the production of biofuels via hydrothermal liquefaction
López Barreiro, D., Samorì, C., Terranella, G., Hornung, U., Kruse, A., & Prins, W. (2014) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2014.10.031 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
El-Shall, N. A., Jiang, S., Farag, M. R., Azzam, M., Al-Abdullatif, A. A., Alhotan, R., Dhama, K., Hassan, F.-U., & Alagawany, M. (2023) · Frontiers in Immunology · doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1072787 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
A Comprehensive Overview on Microalgal-Fortified/Based Food and Beverages
Sidari, R., & Tofalo, R. (2019) · Food Reviews International · doi:10.1080/87559129.2019.1608557 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Current advances in the algae-made biopharmaceuticals field
Rosales-Mendoza, S., Solís-Andrade, K. I., Márquez-Escobar, V. A., González-Ortega, O., & Bañuelos-Hernandez, B. (2020) · Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy · doi:10.1080/14712598.2020.1739643 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Schaerer, L. G., Wu, R., Putman, L. I., Pearce, J. M., Lu, T., Shonnard, D. R., Ong, R. G., & Techtmann, S. M. (2023) · Trends in Biotechnology · doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.06.012 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Salehipour-Bavarsad, F., Nematollahi, M. A., Pistocchi, R., & Pezzolesi, L. (2024) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2024.103579 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Financial Tradeoffs of Energy and Food Uses of Algal Biomass under Stochastic Conditions
Walsh, M. J., Gerber Van Doren, L., Shete, N., Prakash, A., & Salim, U. (2018) · Applied Energy · doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.08.060 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Scenedesmus obliquus metabolomics: effect of photoperiods and cell growth phases
Vendruscolo, R. G., Fagundes, M. B., Maroneze, M. M., do Nascimento, T. C., de Menezes, C. R., Barin, J. S., Zepka, L. Q., Jacob-Lopes, E., & Wagner, R. (2019) · Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering · doi:10.1007/s00449-019-02076-y · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Leveraging microalgae as a sustainable ingredient for meat analogues
Zhu, J., Xiao, X., Du, W., Cai, Y., Yang, Z., Yin, Y., Wakisaka, M., Wang, J., Zhou, Z., Liu, D., et al. (2024) · Food Chemistry · doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139360 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Tejada Carbajal, E. M., Martínez Hernández, E., Fernández Linares, L., Novelo Maldonado, E., & Limas Ballesteros, R. (2020) · Bioresource Technology Reports · doi:10.1016/j.biteb.2020.100605 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Bošković Cabrol, M., Glišić, M., Baltić, M., Jovanović, D., Silađi, Č., Simunović, S., Tomašević, I., & Raymundo, A. (2023) · Meat Science · doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2023.109123 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Techno‐economic analysis of protein concentrate produced by flash hydrolysis of microalgae
Asiedu, A., Ben, S., Resurreccion, E., & Kumar, S. (2018) · Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy · doi:10.1002/ep.12722 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Perspectives of fluorescence spectroscopy for online monitoring in microalgae industry
Sá, M., Ferrer‐Ledo, N., Gao, F., Bertinetto, C. G., Jansen, J., Crespo, J. G., Wijffels, R. H., Barbosa, M., & Galinha, C. F. (2022) · Microbial Biotechnology · doi:10.1111/1751-7915.14013 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Self-citationWeise, T., Grewe, C., & Pfaff, M. (2020) · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00453 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Mafat, I. H., Palla, S., & Surya, D. V. (2024) · Value Added Products From Bioalgae Based Biorefineries: Opportunities and Challenges · doi:10.1007/978-981-97-1662-3_18 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Industry chain and challenges of microalgal food industry-a review
Chen, Y., Liang, H., Du, H., Jesumani, V., He, W., Cheong, K.-L., Li, T., & Hong, T. (2024) · Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition · doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2145455 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Dhandayuthapani, K., Malathy, S., Mulla, S. I., & Gupta, S. K. (2021) · Algae · doi:10.1007/978-981-15-7518-1_7 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Passive thermal regulation approach for Algofilm © photobioreactor through phase change
Mangi, K. H., Larbi, Z., Legrand, J., Pruvost, J., & Si-Ahmed, E.-K. (2021) · Chemical Engineering Research and Design · doi:10.1016/j.cherd.2021.02.013 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Sarmah, M., & Panda, M. R. (2026) · World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s11274-026-04849-6 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
- Authors
- Draaisma, R. B., Wijffels, R. H., (Ellen) Slegers, P., Brentner, L. B., Roy, A., & Barbosa, M. J.
- Affiliations
- Unilever Research and Development Vlaardingen (NL)
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
- Unilever (India) (IN)
- Corresponding author
- Draaisma, René B
- ORCID
- Wijffels, René H
- Venue
- Current Opinion in Biotechnology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-04
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 169-177
- ISSN
- 0958-1669 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2062359547
- Cited by
- 432
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 49 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 40 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 11
- FWCI
- 0.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.wur.nl
- Locations
- Current Opinion in Biotechnology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Keywords
- microalgae, microalgae oil, edible oils, microalgal proteins, food ingredients, sustainable feedstocks, biorefinery, vegetable oil replacement, health benefits, production technology
- MeSH terms
- Conservation of Natural Resources, European Union, Food Analysis, Food Technology, Humans, Oils, Algal Proteins, Microalgae, Food Safety
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review