Microalgae as a Sustainable, Natural-Oriented and Vegan Dermocosmetic Bioactive Ingredient: The Case of Neochloris oleoabundans

“Vegan” and “sustainable” characteristics are strong claim trends behind the development of innovative skincare, fragrances, and makeup products. This created a need in the market for compliant ingredients. To date, there have been no records evidencing the use of the microalgae Neochloris oleoabundans (NA) in dermocosmetics. Therefore, we studied the applicability of such a natural compound in this context. NA was cultivated, and the scavenging activity (SA) of the NA extracts was evaluated. The highest SA was from the aqueous extract (54.8% ± 2.1%), being higher than that of the positive control. Two hydrogels were prepared with 1.0% ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer: (1) control gel; and (2) gel with a 1.0% NA aqueous extract. In vivo experiments were performed in healthy male and female volunteers with skin phototypes of II–IV. The stratum corneum (SC) hydration and the transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured in the forearm of participants to determine their biocompatibility. This parameter was determined by skin bioengineering measurements, confirming that SC hydration and TEWL were not affected by the samples. The laser Doppler measurements results showed a delayed erythema onset in the sites, where the NA hydrogel was applied. The results confirmed the biocompatibility and the anti-inflammatory activity of an innovative ingredient derived from microalgae suitable for a natural and vegan lifestyle.

Neochloris oleoabundans from nature to industry: a comprehensive review

Microalgae technology has been extensively studied during the last two decades. Thousands of species were isolated, and few are currently used in the market for multiple purposes. The current comprehensive review focuses on a promising species named Neochloris oleoabundans. It encompasses a historical overview of the species followed by a detailed description of its taxonomy, ecophysiology and morphology. Furthermore, a thorough screening is conducted to outline the production conditions employed to grow the microalga. In addition, multiple cell disruption and fractionation methods previously applied on N. oleoabundans are described and discussed together with the value chain creation after applying all the unit operations.

Rapid Lipid Content Screening in Neochloris oleoabundans Utilizing Carbon-Based Dielectrophoresis

In this study, we carried out a heterogeneous cytoplasmic lipid content screening of Neochloris oleoabundans microalgae by dielectrophoresis (DEP), using castellated glassy carbon microelectrodes in a PDMS microchannel. For this purpose, microalgae were cultured in nitrogen-replete (N+) and nitrogen-deplete (N−) suspensions to promote low and high cytoplasmic lipid production in cells, respectively. Experiments were carried out over a wide frequency window (100 kHz–30 MHz) at a fixed amplitude of 7 VPP. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the dielectrophoretic behavior of N+ and N− cells at low frequencies (100–800 kHz), whereas a weak response was observed for mid- and high frequencies (1–30 MHz). Additionally, a finite element analysis using a 3D model was conducted to determine the dielectrophoretic trapping zones across the electrode gaps. These results suggest that low-cost glassy carbon is a reliable material for microalgae classification—between low and high cytoplasmic lipid content—through DEP, providing a fast and straightforward mechanism.

Rapid Lipid Content Screening in Neochloris Oleoabundans by Carbon-Based Dielectrophoresis

The use of microalgae as a biomass source for biofuel production has drawn the attention of many scientists due to several associated environmental advantages over conventional terrestrial crops, including microalgae growing using wastewaters and a higher CO2 fixation rate, contributing to the reduction of atmospheric concentration. Consequently, a reliable cytoplasmic lipid screening process in microalgae is a valuable asset for harvesting optimization in mass production processes. In this study, the heterogeneous cytoplasmic lipid content of Neochloris oleoabundans was dielectrophoretically assorted in a microfluidic device using castellated carbon microelectrodes. The experiments carried out over a wide frequency window (100 kHz to 30 MHz) at a fixed amplitude of 7 VPP showed a significant contrast between the dielectrophoretic behavior of high lipid content and low lipid content cells at the low frequency range (100–800 kHz). A weak response for the mid and high frequency ranges (1–30 MHz) was also identified for high and low lipid content samples, allowing one to establish an electrokinetic footprint of the studied strain. These results suggest that the development of a reliable screening process for harvesting optimization is possible through a fast and straightforward mechanism, such as dielectrophoresis, which is a low-cost and easy-to-machine material that employs glassy carbon. The experimental setup in this study involved in vitro culturing of nitrogen-replete (N+) and nitrogen-deplete (N-) cell suspensions to promote low and high lipid production in cells, respectively. Cell populations were monitored using spectrophotometry, and the resulting lipid development among cells was quantified by Nile red fluorescence.