Algae and microalgae: a food bet of the future?
Sustainability is vital to the care and survival of our planet and we can make a great contribution to it through food. Among the sustainable foods that we could consume in the future, we have algae and microalgae; the impact of their production is small, they can be an alternative to animal protein, and they contain a large amount of bioactive compounds that are beneficial for health.
It is known that the population is increasing every year and that we are more and more inhabitants of the world (1). As several studies have suggested, at a time when we are wasting food sources, it will be unsustainable to continue with this level of production and consumption (2,3). Sustainability is based on three main points (4, 5). First of all, while nature provides many resources in the care of the environment, today we consume more resources than the planet can produce. In addition, sustainability takes into account the social development of cultures and communities, guaranteeing coexistence, health and education. Finally, the third key point is to ensure economic growth that does not harm the environment (6).
Although talking about sustainable nutrition is complex, ultimately the key is to reduce the environmental impact of our food pattern. To do this, in the process from food production to consumption, we will need to consume food with the least impact on the environment. In fact, it seems that one of the most effective changes is to reduce the consumption of food of animal origin, in particular the consumption of meat.
In fact, it is known that basing our diet on plant-based foods is more sustainable. For this reason, legumes, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts should be our staple foods, and to a lesser extent those of animal origin. On the other hand, in order to benefit sustainability, it would be necessary to consume seasonal and local food, because in its production process less resources are spent and there will be less pollution caused by transport (7).
in 2019, the “50 Foods of the Future Report” was published, a document that includes the 50 foods that could be consumed in the future as part of a healthier and more sustainable diet (8). Basically, the criteria they have chosen and used to boost their consumption are: they have a high nutritional value, they have less impact on the environment than animal-based foods, they are affordable and they have a good taste. The list of these 50 foods that have been selected includes algae.
Algae: characteristics, classification and uses
The consumption of algae has been common since ancient times in East and South-East Asia, but due to globalization and export, they are now part of the world’s gastronomy. Nowadays, the most popular and consumed are the nori, kombu or wakame algae, mostly used in sushi, soup, salad or fish dishes. In general, those that we designate as algae are macroalgae; as explained below, there are also microalgae.
Macroalgae are large, pluricellular organisms that are classified by color into three subgroups, Chlorophyceae (green), Rhodophyceae (red) and Phaeophyceae (brown) (9). Microalgae are unicellular and microscopically sized eukaryotic organisms, also known as phytoplankton. The classification of microalgae is as follows: Chlorophyta (greens), Rhodophyta (reds), Chrysophyta (diatoms) and Pyrrophyta (dinoflagellates) (10, 11) (1. The image). In addition to these, there are cyanobacteria (Cyanophyta, blue-green prokaryotic cells); although they have been classified as microalgae, since they are prokaryotic cells they are not currently classified as microalgae (11). The most popular microalgae are Spirulina and Chlorella; used not only for food production, but also for food additives and cosmetic products.
Many macroalgae are marketed as dried, which means that we need to hydrate them before consuming them to eat them raw or cooked. However, microalgae are not used for direct consumption and are usually taken in addition to foods or dishes in the form of food supplements or as products made with microalgae, such as bread or cookies. We generally acquire macroalgae from the seas, while microalgae are produced in biophotorectors that allow their controlled growth. In the biophotoreceptors, they grow in a large number of small associated vessels in the form of glass balloons, with ideal conditions of light, temperature and pH, water and food (Figure 2).
As mentioned above, the microalgae have a microscopic size and the one obtained from the production is a biomass in the form of sticky paste that is not directly consumed. Starting from the biomass, freeze-drying of the microalgae can be carried out in order to obtain a powder or derivatives of the whole microalgae that can be added to the food or to produce products made with microalgae as mentioned above (Figure 3). On the other hand, microalgae are used for the extraction of bioactive compounds; being compounds with benefits for human health, they are very useful in the food and pharmaceutical industry (14).
Algae: a source of bioactive compounds that are beneficial for health
As mentioned above, macroalgae and microalgae contain bioactive compounds, molecules that have benefits both in the prevention and treatment of various diseases, as has been reported by many studies (15, 16). These bioactive compounds include florotanins, fucoidans, alginates, laminarins, carotenoids (such as fucoxanthine) and sterols (fukosterol), whose administration has been shown to be beneficial for the prevention of various diseases (17). For example, it has been found that florotannins have type 2 antidiabetic activity by helping to lower blood glucose levels by inhibiting the activity of the enzymes α-amylase and α-glucosylase (18). Moreover, the administration of bioactive compounds present in algae has been found to have benefits in the treatment of obesity, including delayed gastric emptying, decreased inflammation and reduced fat tissue expansion (19). On the other hand, carotenoids present in algae have an antioxidant effect, act against oxidative stress and contribute to the prevention of many chronic degenerative diseases (20, 21). It should be noted that cardiovascular diseases, along with cancer, are the diseases that cause the highest mortality rate (22) and that carotenoids can reduce their incidence due to their effect against hypertension, thrombosis, hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis (23). Finally, in addition to the above effects, bioactive compounds of algae have antiviral and antibacterial activity, have benefits in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, and have been shown to have anti-cancer effects (17, 20, 24, 25, 26).
Will we consume algae and microalgae in the future?
Considering that algae contain bioactive compounds that have beneficial health effects and that the nutritional composition is ideal—that is, they can be useful to replace foods of animal origin in the future—it seems interesting to include algae in our usual dietary pattern. However, we must bear in mind that in our society they are not consumed on a daily basis, since they have a very characteristic taste. In addition, macroalgae taken from the sea should be moderated so as not to exceed the limits of safe quantities for heavy metals.
There is currently a large amount of commercialized algae that we can consume directly, such as added to salads or soups, or considered as a product made with them. When it comes to microalgae, although its use is a little more limited, there are several products on the market made with them. And, in the coming years, a huge boom in the microalgae market is expected.
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