Microalgae as future food: Rich nutrients, safety, production costs and environmental effects

In the citing paper

“In particular, from an economic perspective, the energy required by conventional microalgae harvesting methods, such as centrifugation, flocculation, flotation, and filtration, as well as the initial investment in a bioreactor, is extremely costly.”

In the citing paper

“The lack of more economical and efficient technologies prevents microalgae-based products from competing with conventional ingredients of plant and animal origin, limiting their insertion into other niches (Vázquez-Romero et al., 2022; Gao et al., 2024; Zhu et al., 2024).”

In the citing paper

“Gao et al. (2024) found that prediction-based dilution increased biomass productivity by 47% compared to batch cultivation and by 20% compared to fixed-rate dilution, thereby increasing resource utilization efficiency and reducing the energy intensity of harvesting operations.”

In the citing paper

“Additionally, operational optimization tools that integrate weather forecasts into daily cultivation decisions have proven effective in reducing costs and increasing productivity.”

In the citing paper

“species like Spirulina and Chlorella offering up to 70% protein by dry weight and a complete amino acid profile, alongside their richness in essential fatty acids (notably omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs); a wide spectrum of vitamins (A, B complex, C, E, and K); minerals (e.g., iron, magnesium, and zinc); and antioxidant compounds such as carotenoids and phycobiliproteins [56,90,121,122,123].”

In the citing paper

“regulatory uncertainties concerning the classification, safety evaluation, and approval of novel microalgae-based ingredients also impede market expansion [29,56].”

In the citing paper

“One of the foremost barriers is consumer acceptance. The sensory characteristics of microalgal biomass, such as colour, taste, and odour, can be perceived as undesirable, limiting their use in conventional foods [56].”