Value-added bioproducts from microalgae and their uses

Mikroalge su fotosintetski organizmi mikroskopskih dimenzija koji naseljavaju sve vodene biotope na Zemlji. U današnje vrijeme sve više privlače znanstvenu pozornost prvenstveno kao obnovljivi izvor energije u proizvodnji biogoriva, ali jednako tako i zbog niza visokovrijednih spojeva koje sadrže u svojim stanicama. Cilj ovog rada je pregledno iznijeti aktualne spoznaje vezane uz vrste visokovrijednih bioprodukata dobivenih iz mikroalgi, postupke proizvodnje i njihovu upotrebu. Pojedine vrste mikroalga sadrže velike količine klorofila i karotenoida (luitein, astaksantin, β-karoten , zeaksantin), neke vrste su izuzetno bogate antioksidansima kao što su likopen i fikobiliproteini, a neke vrste su posebno bogate sterolima, proteinima, peptidima, amino-kiselinama i/ili polifenolima. Proizvodnja navedenih bioprodukata odvija se u biorafinerijama. Visokovrijedni produkti mikroalga upotrebljavaju se u ljudskoj prehrani, kao hrana za životinje, te u farmaceutskoj i kozmetičkoj industriji. Sveukupno, potencijali mikroalga kao visokovrijedne sirovine su veliki te su intenzivna istraživanja njihove moguće primjene u raznim područjima.Microalgea are photosynthetic organisms of microscopic dimensions which inhabit all water biotopes on Earth. Today they attract the attention of scientists mainly as a source of renewable energy in the form of biofuel, and for a multitude of value-added compounds that can be found in their cells. The objective of this work is to clearly present the current findings related to the value-added bioproducts extracted from microalgea, their cultivation and use. Some species of microalgea contain large amounts of chlorophyll and carotenoids (lutein, astaxanthin, β-carotene, zeaxanthin), some are very rich in antioxidants such as lycopene and ficobiliproteins, while other species contain a lot of sterols, proteins, peptides, amino-acids and/or polyphenols. The production of the aforementioned bioproducts is conducted in biorefineries. Value-added products gained from microalgea are used as human food, animal feed, in the pharmaceutical industry and in the cosmetic industry. All in all, the potential of microalgea as a value-added raw material is exceptional as research for their potential use in different fields intensifies