Production of Bioactive Macroalgae Extracts with Eutectic Solvents and Pressurized Liquids for Application in Food Bioproducts

• Grant number: 24/16067-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Applied Botany
• Principal Investigator: Fanly Fungyi Chow Ho
• Grantee: Letícia Sanches Contieri
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Marine environments make up more than two-thirds of the planet's surface and are home to diverse forms of life. Among them, macroalgae stand out. Macroalgae are rich in nutrients including proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and polysaccharides and provide essential ecosystem services. It is known that macroalgae extracts have several properties such as: antioxidant, antimicrobial, antitumor, anticoagulant and antiviral. However, the development of bioproducts from macroalgae faces challenges. Bioprospecting for compounds uses solvents that have low specificity and, in the case of volatile organics, high environmental impact. To minimize these problems, it is proposed to use Eutectic Solvents (alternative and non-volatile), which provide better protection efficiencies, selectivity and do not need to be removed from the final extract. Therefore, ecological solutions and modern degradation processes must be considered. Therefore, the main objective of the proposal is to produce ready-to-use extracts rich in bioactive macroalgae compounds for application in food bioproducts. Degradation processes use eutectic solvents combined with modern pressurized liquid degradation techniques. The general objectives are a complete characterization of the algae and the choice of compounds of interest. Among the applications, the use of polysaccharides and fatty acids from macroalgae to produce biogels for 3D printing stands out (international partnership with Prof. Dr. Herminia Dominguez at the University of Vigo - Spain). Therefore, this research project will contribute to the advancement of research in the areas of phycology and chemistry and will develop modern and innovative methods not yet reported in the literature.