Conventional and novel approaches to extract food ingredients and nutraceuticals from microalgae

Abstract Microalgae have the potential to be used for the production of food ingredients and nutraceuticals due to the presence of highly functional and nutritious components including lipids, proteins, ω-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments, and carbohydrates. Despite the nutritional properties of microalgae, they are still mostly used as whole-cell proteins in the market. The extraction of separate multiple components, including lipids, pigments, proteins, and carbohydrates, could provide enhanced functional and nutritional properties for food applications. While much progress has been made in the development of novel methods and the application of conventional techniques to extract components from microalgal biomass, significant challenges remain. In particular, the development of economically feasible, greener technologies is required for the extraction of food-grade ingredients and nutraceutical components from microalgae.