10.7 Applications
225
Algae have been made into plant protein-based snacks of various forms. These
have been shown to have similar sensory appeal to conventional snacks. Lucas et al.
(2018) reported a sensory acceptability index of 82% for snacks which have been
enriched with Spirulina as a protein and nutrient enrichment. Algae has been part of
human diet for centuries; therefore, this could serve as a basis for using proteins from
algae as protein enrichment in foods. This is important in, for example, producing
protein supplements where a high protein content is required. Isolation of specific
component such as protein also allows for standardization and quality control of
products through identification of the specific compounds present and their quantity.
People of different regions have used freshwater plants for different applications
for centuries. Example of such freshwater plants includes wild rice (Zizania spp.),
Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum), water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), water
caltrop (Trapa natans), water mimosa (Neptunia oleracea), wild taro (Colocasia
esculenta) and cattails (Typha spp.). Some have been consumed as food and used
as animal feed or in construction of structures, while some are simply valued for
their aesthetic appeal and revered as traditional/religious symbols—an example of
this is the Indian lotus. There are some interests in extracting proteins from some
of the aquatic plants which are popularly known to cause some environmental nuisance which often also lead to economic losses through the destruction of aquatic
wildlife. For example, aqueous extract of water hyacinth was shown to contain over
56.38% protein and had 17 out of the 20 essential amino acids for humans. The water
hyacinth leaf protein concentrate was also reported to have metal composition within
acceptable limits which could make it a potential source of protein for human use
(Adeyemi and Osubor 2016). The protein content in the water hyacinth leaf protein
concentrate was much higher than the carbohydrate (33.61%), fat (4.11), ash (4.88%)
and crude fiber (1.02%). Such that, over half of the leaf protein concentrate of the
water hyacinth is protein; this makes it potentially suitable as a high-protein food or
supplement.
10.7.4 Animal Feed
The protein in algae is used in animal, poultry and fish feed with the aim of improving
yield and quality since protein forms an important part of the diet. However, much
of the work in this area has looked at using whole or semi-processed macro- and
microalgae. Few studies have reported on exclusively extracting the proteins from
algae and incorporating in animal feed. This is due to the fact that animal feed is
required to be sufficiently low cost; therefore, expensive protein isolation prior to
incorporation in the feed would not be commercially feasible. A number of commercially available animal feeds incorporate algae as a rich source of protein alongside
the other nutrients present in algae. Ruminants are particularly good candidates for
algae-derived protein-based feed as they can better digest the fiber and have a better
bioavailability of the protein within. This biological process is quite similar to the
225
Algae have been made into plant protein-based snacks of various forms. These
have been shown to have similar sensory appeal to conventional snacks. Lucas et al.
(2018) reported a sensory acceptability index of 82% for snacks which have been
enriched with Spirulina as a protein and nutrient enrichment. Algae has been part of
human diet for centuries; therefore, this could serve as a basis for using proteins from
algae as protein enrichment in foods. This is important in, for example, producing
protein supplements where a high protein content is required. Isolation of specific
component such as protein also allows for standardization and quality control of
products through identification of the specific compounds present and their quantity.
People of different regions have used freshwater plants for different applications
for centuries. Example of such freshwater plants includes wild rice (Zizania spp.),
Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum), water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), water
caltrop (Trapa natans), water mimosa (Neptunia oleracea), wild taro (Colocasia
esculenta) and cattails (Typha spp.). Some have been consumed as food and used
as animal feed or in construction of structures, while some are simply valued for
their aesthetic appeal and revered as traditional/religious symbols—an example of
this is the Indian lotus. There are some interests in extracting proteins from some
of the aquatic plants which are popularly known to cause some environmental nuisance which often also lead to economic losses through the destruction of aquatic
wildlife. For example, aqueous extract of water hyacinth was shown to contain over
56.38% protein and had 17 out of the 20 essential amino acids for humans. The water
hyacinth leaf protein concentrate was also reported to have metal composition within
acceptable limits which could make it a potential source of protein for human use
(Adeyemi and Osubor 2016). The protein content in the water hyacinth leaf protein
concentrate was much higher than the carbohydrate (33.61%), fat (4.11), ash (4.88%)
and crude fiber (1.02%). Such that, over half of the leaf protein concentrate of the
water hyacinth is protein; this makes it potentially suitable as a high-protein food or
supplement.
10.7.4 Animal Feed
The protein in algae is used in animal, poultry and fish feed with the aim of improving
yield and quality since protein forms an important part of the diet. However, much
of the work in this area has looked at using whole or semi-processed macro- and
microalgae. Few studies have reported on exclusively extracting the proteins from
algae and incorporating in animal feed. This is due to the fact that animal feed is
required to be sufficiently low cost; therefore, expensive protein isolation prior to
incorporation in the feed would not be commercially feasible. A number of commercially available animal feeds incorporate algae as a rich source of protein alongside
the other nutrients present in algae. Ruminants are particularly good candidates for
algae-derived protein-based feed as they can better digest the fiber and have a better
bioavailability of the protein within. This biological process is quite similar to the