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 9
Special Issue Editors
Interests: alternative food sources; microalgae; vegetal proteins; bioactive compounds; health benefits; proteomics; bioactive peptides
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: microalgae; functional foods; sustainable bioactive compounds; omega-3 fatty acids; polar lipids; lipidomics
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.
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-blind 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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