Applications of Microalgae in Foods, Pharma and Feeds and Their Use as Fertilizers and Biostimulants: Legislation and Regulatory Aspects for Consideration
Open accessAbstract
Microalgae are a rich resource of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and pigments with nutritional and health benefits. They increasingly find use as ingredients in functional foods and feeds as well as in cosmetics and agricultural products including biostimulants. One of their distinct advantages is their ability to grow on wastewaters and other waste streams, and they are considered an environmentally friendly and cheap method to recover nutrients and remove pollutants from the environment. However, there are limits concerning their applications if grown on certain waste streams. Within, we collate an overview of existing algal applications and current market scenarios for microalgal products as foods and feeds along with relevant legislative requirements concerning their use in Europe and the United States. Microalgal compounds of interest and their extraction and processing methodologies are summarized, and the benefits and caveats of microalgae cultivated in various waste streams and their applications are discussed.
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Only France has established explicit seaweed-specific limits for metals and iodine.
“Although EU Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 lists multiple algal-derived food additives (E401–E407a) [236], only France has established explicit seaweed-specific limits for metals and iodine.”
From Navigating the potential of algal peptides: health effects, market applications, and scientific challenges (2026) · cites this paper as [236]
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References 166 · Cited by 129
Research works printed but not linked: 5
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- Authors
- Su, M., Bastiaens, L., Verspreet, J., & Hayes, M.
- Affiliations
- Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (IE)
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research (BE)
- The Food BioSciences Department Ashtown, Teagasc Food Research Centre, 15D05 Dublin, Ireland
- Venue
- Foods
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2023-10-23
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 20
- Pages
- 3878
- ISSN
- 2304-8158 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10606004
- OpenAlex
- W4387891713
- Cited by
- 129
- References
- 166
- Citations by year
- 2026: 44 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 27
- FWCI
- 1.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Foods (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- EU Interreg, North West Europe (NWE) (NWE639)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Keywords
- microalgae, functional foods, animal feed, cosmetics, biostimulants, wastewater cultivation, nutrient recovery, pollutant removal, algal pigments, regulatory considerations, market scenarios
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