High-Value Products From Algae: Medical, Nutraceutical, and Biotechnological Applications

Dear Colleagues,

As part of the Global Agenda, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, it is crucial to develop new approaches for a sustainable blue economy, in order to assist human society in overcoming the problems associated with industrialization and unsustainable exponential growth. Many studies in recent years have highlighted the potential of algae (both macro- and microalgae) as valuable aquatic resources which could help to address today's societal concerns.

Hence, the industry has turned its attention to the ocean and aquatic resources as a vast reservoir of unique and biologically active compounds. The algal biotechnology industry is rapidly expanding and gaining attention due to the abundance of high-value molecules such as pigments, lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins.

The potential of algal cultivation for a circular economy is of increasing interest in this field of research, as the algae-produced biomass is of value in a wide range of industries (e.g., nutraceutical food, feed, textile, pharmaceutical, bioplastic, biofuel, cosmetics, or agriculture). Nonetheless, cost efficacy remains an issue and improvements in this area are required to promote technology transfer to the industry. As a result, upstream and downstream processing technology is still evolving, and current research initiatives focus on three strategic alignments: biomass production optimization, bioactive products, and market uptake.

Hereby, we invite contributions addressing the most recent developments in algal production and biotechnological applications for this Special Issue. Papers describing original proposals and dealing with all aspects of upstream and downstream process optimization are welcome.

Dr. Diana Pacheco
Dr. Tatiana Marisa Fernandes Patrício
Dr. Telma Encarnação
Guest Editors

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