14 The Bioeconomy of Production of Microalgal Pigments
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various algal pigments with a great prospect of being an economic booster. This has
resulted in the enhanced methodology in production and genetic microalgal strain
modification. Increased application of pigments as natural dyes and polyunsaturated
fatty acid oil in food, increase the need of diversifying the quest of microalgal biome
for their potential economic implication (Spolaore et al. 2006b).
14.4.1 Commerce Behind Bioindustrialization
Commercial microalgae production started in the early 1970s in Japan, with
Dunaliella salina, as a β-carotene source which later became a rapidly growing
bioproduct industry, when Australia pioneered in mass outputs. The species showing
higher growth rates, invasion resistance, and the presence of optimal lipids are the
triad of selecting the best seeding culture. The biofuel production and utilization
of bioactive compounds from microalgae is hindered by the increased industrial
slab. Improvement of extraction techniques is mandatory for the efficient usage; this
can be achieved by alternate methods of extraction such as microwave irradiation
methods (Kapoore et al. 2018). Microalgal cells pose a challenge while disrupting the
intracellular polymers such as sporopollenin and algaenan. In a few species such as
Dunaliella tertiolecta, the absence of frustules led to rapid extraction of phycopigments, in contrast, the presence of frustules in Cylindrotheca closterium renders
as a mechanical barrier to pigment extraction. Solvent-based disruption techniques
require massive protocols to obtain products of interest. Conventional techniques
such as cold and hot soaking technique, ultrasound assisted technique, are often
very expensive and contribute to low efficiency. MAE is found to be a better alternative as it is a combination of rapidity, better reproducibility, uniform heating,
and increased yields (Pasquet et al. 2011). The process of harvesting involves enormous energy and finance; the techniques include centrifugation, foam fractioning,
chemo-flocculation, electro-flocculation, osmotic separation, and ultrasonic separation. Whereas, certain low energy and low budget harvesting process like gravity
sedimentation are not economically feasible. Scientists are expected to come up
with a solution to address the problems affixed to harvesting microalgae for the
commercial isolation of valuable metabolites (Ghosh et al. 2016).
14.4.2 Potential of Various Microalgal Pigments in Industries
The markets were seen inviting microalgal components in the past, in this backdrop, a
marked increase in research is expected to expand the horizon for various microalgal
products. The quality of such products is maintained by the downstream processing
technique.
345
various algal pigments with a great prospect of being an economic booster. This has
resulted in the enhanced methodology in production and genetic microalgal strain
modification. Increased application of pigments as natural dyes and polyunsaturated
fatty acid oil in food, increase the need of diversifying the quest of microalgal biome
for their potential economic implication (Spolaore et al. 2006b).
14.4.1 Commerce Behind Bioindustrialization
Commercial microalgae production started in the early 1970s in Japan, with
Dunaliella salina, as a β-carotene source which later became a rapidly growing
bioproduct industry, when Australia pioneered in mass outputs. The species showing
higher growth rates, invasion resistance, and the presence of optimal lipids are the
triad of selecting the best seeding culture. The biofuel production and utilization
of bioactive compounds from microalgae is hindered by the increased industrial
slab. Improvement of extraction techniques is mandatory for the efficient usage; this
can be achieved by alternate methods of extraction such as microwave irradiation
methods (Kapoore et al. 2018). Microalgal cells pose a challenge while disrupting the
intracellular polymers such as sporopollenin and algaenan. In a few species such as
Dunaliella tertiolecta, the absence of frustules led to rapid extraction of phycopigments, in contrast, the presence of frustules in Cylindrotheca closterium renders
as a mechanical barrier to pigment extraction. Solvent-based disruption techniques
require massive protocols to obtain products of interest. Conventional techniques
such as cold and hot soaking technique, ultrasound assisted technique, are often
very expensive and contribute to low efficiency. MAE is found to be a better alternative as it is a combination of rapidity, better reproducibility, uniform heating,
and increased yields (Pasquet et al. 2011). The process of harvesting involves enormous energy and finance; the techniques include centrifugation, foam fractioning,
chemo-flocculation, electro-flocculation, osmotic separation, and ultrasonic separation. Whereas, certain low energy and low budget harvesting process like gravity
sedimentation are not economically feasible. Scientists are expected to come up
with a solution to address the problems affixed to harvesting microalgae for the
commercial isolation of valuable metabolites (Ghosh et al. 2016).
14.4.2 Potential of Various Microalgal Pigments in Industries
The markets were seen inviting microalgal components in the past, in this backdrop, a
marked increase in research is expected to expand the horizon for various microalgal
products. The quality of such products is maintained by the downstream processing
technique.