ALGAEFUN: microalgae biorefinery for the production of food oleoresin and protein by-product

• Grant number: 22/07750-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: January 01, 2023
• End date: September 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Jaqueline Carmo da Silva
• Grantee: Jaqueline Carmo da Silva
• Company: Seip7 Indústria e Comércio de Máquinas Ltda. - ME
• CNAE: Aqüicultura em água salgada e salobra ; Fabricação de produtos alimentícios não especificados anteriormente ; Fabricação de medicamentos para uso humano
• City: Sorocaba
• Pesquisadores principais: Caroline Schmitz
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/15986-8 - ALGAEFUN: microalgae biorefinery for the production of food oleoresin and protein by-product, BP.PIPE

Abstract

Sustainable food and agriculture encourage practices that have minimal impacts on the environment and human health. The use of microalgae as an alternative nutritive source and as a potential agricultural input emphasizes the objective of the circular economy, the development of clean, safe, and ecologically correct technologies. The challenge lies in the use of the biorefinery to increase crop yields and in the extraction of high value-added compounds of interest so that the process is financially viable as well as environmentally sustainable. Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Haematococcus pluvialis are highlighted for their excellent production of interest compounds such as carotenoid pigments (astaxanthin and fucoxanthin) and fatty acids. A major appeal for optimizing the procurement of carotenoids through natural resources is the ban on the use of some synthetic carotenoids in the health food market by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) due to their low bioavailability and safety. In this research project, oleoresins obtained from microalgae biomass will be developed and characterized in terms of their fatty acid and carotenoid content through spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques to validate their nutraceutical potential. The association of vegetable oils with carotenoids and fatty acids increases its stability and prevents its early degradation. The generated by-product will also be evaluated by biochemical techniques to corroborate its use to obtain a hydrolyzed compound for use as an agricultural biostimulant. Both the resulting by-products, the oleoresin rich in carotenoids and fatty acids, and the by-product rich in amino acids and phytohormones, fit into exponentially growing markets. Therefore, this innovative work opens perspectives for the use of products extracted from microalgae cultures as sustainable and safe alternatives for food/nutritional and environmental development. (AU)