Potential Use of Algae-A Review

Anwesa Sarkar[1] , J.P.Pandey [2] , Anupama Singh[3], Lakshmi Tiwari[4], Anil Kumar[5]
Page No. 57-68

Algae are an extremely diverse group of organisms that make up the lower phylogenetic echelons of
the plant kingdom. Most of the algae are photosynthetic (like higher plants) or are closely related to
organisms that are. Algae perform roughly 50% of the photosynthesis on this planet and thus are
instru-mental in supporting the biosphere. The first use of microalgae by humans dates back 2000
years to the Chinese, who used Nostoc to survive during famine. However, microalgal
biotechnology only really began to develop in the middle of the last century. Nowadays, there are
numerous commercial applications of microalgae. For example, (1) microalgae can be used to
enhance the nutritional value of food and animal feed owing to their chemical composition, (2) they
play a crucial role in aquaculture and (3) they can be incorporated into cosmetics. Moreover, they
are cultivated as a source of highly valuable molecules. For example, polyunsaturated fatty acid
oils are added to infant formulas and nutritional supplements and pigments are important as
natural dyes. Stable isotope biochemicals help in structural determination and metabolic studies.
Future research should focus on the improvement of production systems and the genetic
modification of strains. Microalgal products would in that way become even more diversified and
economically competitive. In this article some commercially available products derived from algae
and a few product areas in which algae may make a significant contribution in the near future has
been described.
Keywords: microalgae, applications, nutrition, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins, polyunsaturated fatty
acids