Les algues, une ressource aux applications multiples : Nutrition, Santé, Cosmétologie, Bioénergie, Environnement [The algae, a resource with multiple applications: Nutrition, Health, Cosmetics, Bioenergy, Environment]

Marine algae present a potential source of compounds with numerous applications in fields as different as, food processing, health, cosmetics, aquaculture, nutraceuticals, environment and renewable energy. Lipids and pigments are the main products of interest in large seaweeds or macroalgae and in microalgae composing the phytoplankton. Macroalgae have long been the subject of industrial use as gelling source (agar, carrageenan, alginate) or food uses (nori, wakame, kombu). Some species are harvested and others are grown. Microalgae, for their part are the focus, for recent years, of many industrial projects such as, pigment production, omega-3 fatty acids production or more generally lipids for a future use as a biofuel resource. They are cultured in photo-bioreactors or open tanks in many regions of the world. Among the microalgae, a diatom rich in omega-3, cultivated industrially in the region of "Pays de la Loire" and commercialized as a human food supplement, has been studied in order to optimize its valorisation. Results, obtained for optimal conditions of development in culture and the advantages of using it as a food supplement for preventing cardiovascular risk factors in rats subjected to a high fat diet, are presented