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Marine Drugs
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Green Gold: Microalgae as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine-Derived Ingredients for Drugs, Cosmeceuticals and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2585

Editors

Dr. Blanca Hernández-Ledesma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (CIAL), 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: alternative food sources; microalgae; vegetal proteins; bioactive compounds; health benefits; proteomics; bioactive peptides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Pilar Gómez-Cortés

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación (CIAL), 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: microalgae; functional foods; sustainable bioactive compounds; omega-3 fatty acids; polar lipids; lipidomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,                

The global challenge of ensuring a sustainable and nutritious food supply for a growing population demands innovative solutions. Microalgae, with their rapid growth rates, ability to thrive in non-arable land, and rich compositional profile, offer a compelling solution. They are not only a source of essential macronutrients (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates) but also a prolific producer of high-value bioactive compounds, such as bioactive peptides, omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, and phycobiliproteins. This Special Issue seeks to consolidate the latest scientific breakthroughs that position microalgae at the forefront of the bioeconomy and the future of food.

The Special Issue will provide a platform for original research and comprehensive reviews covering, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Strain Development and Biotechnology: Genetic engineering, metabolic engineering, and screening for enhanced production of target compounds.
  • Sustainable Cultivation: Innovations in photobioreactor design, wastewater remediation, and life cycle assessment (LCA) of cultivation systems.
  • Downstream Processing: Novel, energy-efficient, and green techniques for cell disruption, extraction, and purification of nutrients and bioactives.
  • Characterization and Analysis: Profiling of nutritional and functional properties, identification of novel compounds, and structural elucidation.
  • Bioactivity and Health Benefits: In vitro and in vivo studies on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and other health-promoting effects.
  • Applications in foods and nutraceuticals: Development of microalgae-enriched foods, supplements, and the assessment of their techno-functional properties and sensory aspects.

We look forward to receiving your original research and review articles that contribute to accelerating the transition of microalgae from a promising concept to a mainstream, sustainable resource for improving human nutrition and health.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in IJMS. 

Dr. Blanca Hernández-Ledesma
Dr. Pilar Gómez-Cortés
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. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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.

Keywords

  • microalgae
  • sustainable nutrition
  • bioactive compounds
  • functional foods
  • nutraceuticals
  • alternative proteins
  • phycochemistry
  • circular bioeconomy
  • biorefinery

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1515 KB  
Article
Red Light Enhances Biomass and Bioactive Compounds Through Photosynthetic Acclimation in Anabaena variabilis
by Carol Ostojic, María Robles, Lidia Martín-Gordillo, David Fernández, Riccardo Gava and Carlos Vílchez
Mar. Drugs 2026, 24(6), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/md24060221 - 19 Jun 2026
Viewed by 177
Abstract
Light irradiance and spectral quality are key environmental factors that influence the growth, photosynthetic performance, and metabolic responses of cyanobacteria. In this study, the effects of increasing white and PAR-red light irradiances on Anabaena variabilis were evaluated in repeated-batch cultures, focusing on photosynthetic [...] Read more.
Light irradiance and spectral quality are key environmental factors that influence the growth, photosynthetic performance, and metabolic responses of cyanobacteria. In this study, the effects of increasing white and PAR-red light irradiances on Anabaena variabilis were evaluated in repeated-batch cultures, focusing on photosynthetic efficiency, biomass productivity, and the modulation of antioxidant systems, while cultures maintained under constant irradiance were used as control. Results showed that A. variabilis can maintain photosynthetic efficiency, as indicated by FV/FM values, within the optimal range for healthy cultures despite variations in light conditions. PAR-red light, in particular, enhanced biomass productivity and induced stronger photoacclimation responses compared to white light. Moreover, analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence (JIP parameters) revealed that photosynthetic machinery adapts to increased irradiance by modulating energy fluxes. Dissipated energy (DI0/RC) increases by 4.5-fold under increasing PAR-red light with respect to control cultures, which suggests that PAR-red light promotes thermal dissipation of excess absorbed energy at the phycobilisome level, independently of and complementarily to, the increase in light-harvesting antenna pigments (chlorophylls and phycobiliproteins), thereby reducing the net oxidative pressure in the electron transport chain. The increase in photosynthetic pigments reflects an adaptive adjustment to optimize light harvesting under red light, with a phycocyanin content of 123 mg·g−1 biomass, 30% higher than that obtained in control culture. Overall, A. variabilis demonstrated a robust capacity to acclimate increasing light irradiance and varying light quality through coordinated photoacclimation and antioxidant responses, in repeated-batch cultures. These findings highlight its physiological flexibility, which can be properly driven to maximize the production of valuable bioactive compounds, particularly phycobiliproteins such as phycocyanin, with applications in biotechnology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Gold: Microalgae as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds)
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23 pages, 2050 KB  
Article
Enhancing the Recovery of Antioxidant Compounds from Microalgae-Cyanobacteria Consortia Through Alcalase Hydrolysis: A Focus on Bioactive Peptides
by Blanca Pardo de Donlebún, Rocío del Álamo, Pilar Águila-Carricondo, Juan Pablo de la Roche, Pilar Gómez-Cortés and Blanca Hernández-Ledesma
Mar. Drugs 2026, 24(5), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/md24050184 - 20 May 2026
Viewed by 790
Abstract
Microalgae and cyanobacteria represent an emerging and sustainable source of bioactive compounds for the food, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical sectors. In this study, the potential of two microalgae-cyanobacteria consortia, consortium 1 (C1) consisting of Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis, and consortium 2 (C2) [...] Read more.
Microalgae and cyanobacteria represent an emerging and sustainable source of bioactive compounds for the food, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical sectors. In this study, the potential of two microalgae-cyanobacteria consortia, consortium 1 (C1) consisting of Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis, and consortium 2 (C2) consisting of Kamptonema sp., Nannochloropsis oculata, Tetraselmis suecica, and Chlorella vulgaris, as a source of bioactive peptides was evaluated. Firstly, protein extraction from both biomasses was optimized by testing different protein solubilization and precipitation pHs, with pH 10 and pH 5 providing the best results in terms of protein recovery in both cases. Selected protein extracts, with protein contents of 28.50 ± 2.69% (C1) and 8.46 ± 0.45% (C2), were further hydrolyzed with Alcalase, evaluating the impact of the incubation time on peptide release and the antioxidant capacity of hydrolysates. A total of 1 h of hydrolysis proved to be enough for antioxidant capacity increase. In addition, in silico hydrolysis of the proteins identified with Alcalase in C1 and C2 (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD077201 and PXD077149 for C1 and C2, respectively) was evaluated, assessing the potential bioactivity of the peptides produced, more specifically their antioxidant capacity. Our findings demonstrate that both microalgae-cyanobacteria consortia are valuable sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant capacity, with potential interest as functional ingredients for the food, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Gold: Microalgae as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds)
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21 pages, 3672 KB  
Article
Bioactive Compounds from Microalgae and Cyanobacteria: Evaluation of Their Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities
by Bruna de Falco, Carlos José Martel-Benítez, Carlos Almeida, Attilio Anzano, Francesco Pisapia, José Luis Martín-Barrasa, Antera Martel Quintana and Juan Luis Gómez-Pinchetti
Mar. Drugs 2026, 24(5), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/md24050171 - 9 May 2026
Viewed by 1038
Abstract
Microalgae hold great potential towards pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors due to their substantial content of highly functional bioactive compounds. To assess their potential as a sustainable source of valuable products, 10 cyanobacterial and 10 eukaryotic microalgal strains belonging to different taxonomic groups (Chlorophyta, [...] Read more.
Microalgae hold great potential towards pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors due to their substantial content of highly functional bioactive compounds. To assess their potential as a sustainable source of valuable products, 10 cyanobacterial and 10 eukaryotic microalgal strains belonging to different taxonomic groups (Chlorophyta, Cyanophyta, Euglenophyta, Heterokontophyta and Rhodophyta) were screened for their biochemical profile, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Total phenol content and antioxidant activity were positively correlated (r = 0.69, p < 0.01), with the highest values observed in Euglena cantabrica, Haematococcus pluvialis, and Chrysoreinhardia giraudii. HPLC-PAD pigment analysis revealed species-specific profiles, with β,β-carotene as major carotenoid in most cyanobacteria, whereas neoxanthin, violaxanthin and lutein were predominantly present in Chlorophyta, and fucoxanthin was the main carotenoid in C. giraudii, Entomoneis sp. and Isochrysis galbana. Protein content ranged from 9.2 ± 0.4% to 57.6 ± 0.5% with the highest levels in the cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa, Nostoc sp., Cylindrospermum stagnale, Anabaena minutissima, and Arthrospira platensis. Multivariate analysis differentiated cyanobacteria and eukaryotes based on their fatty acid profiles. Organic extracts from 15 species showed inhibitory effects against S. aureus with MIC50 < 1024 µg/mL. The eukaryotes Entomoneis sp., C. giraudii, I. galbana, Picochlorum sp. and the cyanobacteria C. stagnale and Nodularia sp. exhibited the strongest inhibitory effects on bacterial growth. In conclusion, E. cantabrica and C. giraudii stood out for their high antioxidant activity and significant antimicrobial effects, respectively, highlighting their potential as valuable sources of bioactive compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Gold: Microalgae as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients and Bioactive Compounds)
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