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could be used as ingredients to enhance nutritional food content. Due to their high
protein content, various microalgal species are considered as unconventional
sources of protein. They also represent a valuable source of nearly all amino acids
and essential vitamins. Microalgae are rich in pigments like chlorophyll (0.5–1% of
dry weight), carotenoids (0.1–0.2% of dry weight) and phycobiliproteins (up to 8%
of dry weight). Due to their high digestibility, microalgal carbohydrates (glucose,
starch and polysaccharides) can be used in foods or feeds (Ratha and Prasanna
2012). Applications of various microalgal products are enlisted in Table  13.1.
Table 13.1 Applications of various products extracted from microalgae
Products
Microalgae
Applications
Pigments
Phycocyanin
Spirulina platensis
Health food
Cosmetics
Pharmaceuticals
Phycoerythrin
Porphyridium cruentum
Fluorescent agent
Biomedical research
Diagnostic tool
Lutein
Astaxanthin
Haematococcus pluvialis
Botryococcus braunii
Chlorella zofingiensis
Chlorococcum sp.
Pigments
Anti-inflammatory agents
Cosmetics
Provitamins
β-Carotene
Dunaliella salina
Vischeria stellata
Pigments
Food colourant
Antioxidants
Feed additives
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
Eicosapentaenoic acid
Chlorella minutissima
Nannochloropsis sp.
Nutraceuticals
Food additives
Docosahexaenoic acid
Crypthecodinium sp.
Schizochytrium sp.
Linolenic acid
Spirulina sp.
Vitamins
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Biotin, α-tocopherol (vitamin E)
Chlorella sp.
Euglena gracilis
Nutrition
Polysaccharides
Porphyridium cruentum
Antiviral agents
Lubricants
Flocculants
Lipids
Botryococcus braunii
Chlorella sp.
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Nannochloropsis sp.
Scenedesmus sp.
Biodiesel
Carbohydrates
Arthrospira platensis
Botryococcus braunii
Chlorella sp.
Dunaliella salina
Haematococcus pluvialis
Bioethanol
Foods
Feeds
Compiled from Chu (2012), Ratha and Prasanna (2012), Markou and Nerantzis (2013), Trivedi
et al. (2015), Minhas et al. (2016)
13 Oxidative Stress-Induced Bioprospecting of Microalgae