Algae-Derived Bioactives: Key Molecular Interactions Govern High-Value Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The loss of arable land and effects of climate change challenge the sustainable agricultural production of agri-food for the rapidly growing human population. Balanced nutrition, however, plays a large role in the management of health and diseases. Based on the extent of global malnutrition provided by the World Health Organisation and the impact of climate change on agricultural production, traditional food production through agriculture and aquaculture alone is unlikely to be able to alleviate the increase in the global disease burden brought on or escalated by malnutrition. Algae, that is macro- and micro-algae, including cyanobacteria, are rich sources of essential nutrients, such as lipids, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, complex polysaccharides, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, yet global commercial algal production is still an emerging industry. This Special Issue aims to provide a fruitful synthesis of information on the key components of algal biomass, their molecular mode of action, the amounts required to alleviate nutritional shortcomings, and their market potential. This synthesis of information is targeted to be used by commercial producers and international research groups to harness the investment required for increasing global production volumes of algal species to supply the market with high-value bioactive products.

Malnutrition and inflammation are recognised as significantly contributing to the non-communicable chronic disease burden globally, affecting more than 2.5 billion people. Lifestyle choices and inadequate diets are recognised drivers for global declines in cardiovascular health, and inadequately formulated diets exacerbate proneness to muscle and weight loss, escalate the progression of physical and mental dysfunction, and negatively affect the quality of life and clinical outcomes of older people. Considering the growing human population, climate change, and loss of arable land, a key question is how can diets be fortified economically and sustainably with essential nutrients to kerb the impact malnutrition has on the global disease burden?

Many algae species are rich in nutrients such as lipids and omega-3 fatty acids, protein, beneficial complex polysaccharides, and other health-promoting bioactives, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants and have been used in Asian diets for thousands of years. The health benefits of many algal bioactive molecules have also been recognised. Despite this, the general inclusion of algae or algae-derived molecules is currently not realised due to knowledge gaps concerning dietary guidelines, the underpinning molecular mechanisms of algal bioactive compounds in health and disease management, and the comparatively low volumes produced commercially. Specifically, this Special Issue aims to elucidate the molecular interactions that govern the efficacy of vast and diverse algae-derived bioactive molecules in the management of health and disease. Thus, this Special Issue aims to provide a molecular foundation for the health benefit claims of key components of algal biomass through the elucidation of their molecular interactions. This information will in turn be used to analyse market potential. This comprehensive algal species-integrated information will aid the global expansion of algal production through the manufacturing of high-value products and applications.

Dr. Evan Stephens
Dr. Kirsten Heimann
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.