Microalgae as a Potential Functional Ingredient: Evaluation of the Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant Activity and In-Vitro Enzymatic Inhibitory Effect of Different Species

The functional food market has been in a state of constant expansion due to the increasing awareness of the impact of the diet on human health. In the search for new natural resources that could act as a functional ingredient for the food industry, microalgae represent a promising alternative, considering their high nutritional value and biosynthesis of numerous bioactive compounds with reported biological properties. In the present work, the phytochemical profile, antioxidant activity, and enzymatic inhibitory effect aiming at different metabolic disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity) were evaluated for the species Porphyridium purpureum, Chlorella vulgaris, Arthorspira platensis, and Nannochloropsis oculata. All the species presented bioactive diversity and important antioxidant activity, demonstrating the potential to be used as functional ingredients. Particularly, P. purpureum and N. oculata exhibited higher carotenoid and polyphenol content, which was reflected in their superior biological effects. Moreover, the species P. purpureum exhibited remarkable enzymatic inhibition for all the analyses.

A Novel Three-Step Extraction Strategy for High-Value Products from Red Algae Porphyridium purpureum

The microalga Porphyridium accumulates high-value compounds such as phycoerythrin, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polysaccharides, and thus, the extraction of these compounds could significantly expand the value of Porphyridium biomass. In the present study, a novel fractional extraction strategy based on the characteristics of these compounds was established using cold water, 95% ethanol, and hot water. The yield of phycoerythrin, lipids, and polysaccharides was 63.3, 74.3, and 75.2%, respectively. The phycoerythrin exhibited excellent fluorescence characteristics but had low purity. The crude lipid was dark with poor fluidity. Digalactosyldiacylglycerol and sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol containing C20:5 and C20:4 were the most abundant glycerolipids, while glucose, xylose, and galactose constituted the intracellular polysaccharides that had covalently bound to proteins (8.01%), uronic acid (4.13%), and sulfate (8.31%). Compared with polysaccharides and crude lipids, crude phycoerythrin showed the best antioxidant activity. Overall, the three-step fractional extraction process was feasible for Porphyridium; however, further purification is necessary for downstream applications.

In situ cryo-ET structure of phycobilisome–photosystem II supercomplex from red alga

Phycobilisome (PBS) is the main light-harvesting antenna in cyanobacteria and red algae. How PBS transfers the light energy to photosystem II (PSII) remains to be elucidated. Here we report the in situ structure of the PBS–PSII supercomplex from Porphyridium purpureum UTEX 2757 using cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging. Our work reveals the organized network of hemiellipsoidal PBS with PSII on the thylakoid membrane in the native cellular environment. In the PBS–PSII supercomplex, each PBS interacts with six PSII monomers, of which four directly bind to the PBS, and two bind indirectly. Additional three ‘connector’ proteins also contribute to the connections between PBS and PSIIs. Two PsbO subunits from adjacent PSII dimers bind with each other, which may promote stabilization of the PBS–PSII supercomplex. By analyzing the interaction interface between PBS and PSII, we reveal that αLCM and ApcD connect with CP43 of PSII monomer and that αLCM also interacts with CP47' of the neighboring PSII monomer, suggesting the multiple light energy delivery pathways. The in situ structures illustrate the coupling pattern of PBS and PSII and the arrangement of the PBS–PSII supercomplex on the thylakoid, providing the near-native 3D structural information of the various energy transfer from PBS to PSII.

Real-Time Monitoring of Microalgal Biomass in Pilot-Scale Photobioreactors Using Nephelometry

The increasing cultivation of microalgae in photobioreactors warrants efficient and non-invasive methods to quantify biomass density in real time. Nephelometric turbidity assessment, a method that measures light scatter by particles in suspension, was introduced already several decades ago but was only recently validated as a high-throughput tool to monitor microalgae biomass. The light scatter depends on the density of the suspended particles as well as on their physical properties, but so far there are hardly any accounts on how nephelometric assessment relates to classic methods such as dry weight and spectrophotometric measurement across a broad biomass density range for different microalgae species. Here, we monitored biomass density online and in real time during the semi-continuous cultivation of three commercial microalgae species Chloromonas typhlos, Microchloropsis gaditana and Porphyridium purpureum in pilot-scale photobioreactors, and relate nephelometric turbidity to dry weight and optical density. The results confirm a relatively strong (R2 = 0.87–0.93) and nonlinear relationship between turbidity and biomass density that differs among the three species. Overall, we demonstrate how nephelometry can be used to monitor microalgal biomass in photobioreactors, and provide the necessary means to estimate the biomass density of the studied species from turbidity data to facilitate automated biomass monitoring.

Physiological and transcriptome analysis elucidates the metabolic mechanism of versatile Porphyridium purpureum under nitrogen deprivation for exopolysaccharides accumulation

Porphyridium purpureum is a mesophilic, unicellular red alga rich in phycoerythrin, sulfate polysaccharides, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Nitrogen deficiency inhibited the growth of P. purpureum and resulted in yellowing of the cells and thickening of the extracellular viscousness sheath. Under nitrogen stress, the contents of total lipids and exopolysaccharides in P. purpureum were increased by 65.2% and 188.0%, respectively. We demonstrate that the immediate response of P. purpureum to nitrogen deficiency is mediated by carbon flow to polysaccharide synthesis, while the synthesis of lipids is enhanced as a permanent energy storage substance at the later stage. Based on transcriptome annotation information, we elucidate the synthesis pathway of polysaccharides from P. purpureum from the perspective of glycosyl-donor interconversion, and demonstrate that the n-6 pathway is the main synthesis pathway of polyunsaturated fatty acids. This study not only provides a production strategy for polysaccharides and fatty acids by single-celled marine red algae P. purpureum, but also provides targets for further genetic modification.