Blue-biorefinery of macroalgae - improved aquaculture practices and green and innovative extraction methodologies for the production of high-value compounds

Description

There is an increasing trend for revisiting natural sources towards the discovery of bioactive components [1] within the blue-economy, circular economy andbiorefinery concepts. Marine organisms are seen as a promising, almost unlimited source of bioactive and quite exclusive compounds. Algae, and particularlymacroalgae or seaweeds (~10000 species) based products have been widely introduced in the market, namely as hydrocolloids, fertilizers, animal feed andcosmetics. In fact, macroalgae aquaculture-based products is a sector in expansion, but focused essentially on polysaccharides, pigments and minerals,neglecting thus the less abundant bioactive secondary metabolites (BSMs) fraction. Macroalgae produce secondary metabolites, some of them quite rare, as aresponse to the surrounding environment. Despite the diverse and unique biological properties attributed to these compounds [PP1,PP2], there is still a lack ofknowledge on how aquaculture conditions, namely abiotic factors, affect BSMs production as well as on green and efficient extraction methodologies, avoidingtheir valorisation and exploitation for high-value applications.

Coordination

Universidade de Aveiro (UA)

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