Algae in Food - An Overview

Introduction:

The proteins, soluble fibers, polysaccharides, lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments, vitamins, and minerals, are all rich in microalgae and macroalgae. But the use of algae in the food system is challenged. This is because algae's palatability regarding sensory as biomass contains different odor-active volatile compounds, which is not recommended for certain algal food products.

Some examples of foods enriched with algae biomass are plant-based fish and meat. The diary analog and innovative ingredients are also presented to elevate the algae’s credibility as a potential source of new food development. The need for protein demand and a source of bioactive compounds is grown, supplied, and used in algae-enriched food.

How Algae-Rich Food Is the Correct Source of Nutritional Compounds?

• The various water-dwelling eukaryotes which perform photosynthesis have been collectively termed alga.

• The differentiating feature between the two algae types depends on the organism's size, microalgae, and macroalgae.

• Microalgae is unicellular and can be seen only through the microscope, whereas macroalgae can be seen through the naked eye.

• Some of the traditional foods in Asian culture period use food products like seaweed directly, like Ulva Lactuca as sea lettuce or established nori for sushi.

• Other examples which provide texture and flavors to food products are wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), Irish moss (Chondrus Crispus), Kombu (Saccharina japonica), and sea spaghetti or thong weed (Himanthalia elongata).

• Nowadays, ingredients like microalgae are increasingly used as a flavor-active, nutrient source, or texture enhancer.

• Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis are the best-known microalgae species because they can act as a vegan protein source with high protein content with an additional role in the presence of essential amino acids and vitamin B12.

• The United States and “FDA” (Food and Drug Administration) approve that foods enriched with algae are recognized as safe and approved in the market.

• To prove the harmless nature of microalgae, considered an unconventional food source, it should undergo a series of toxicological tests.

• People should follow some safety and quality standards, which were suggested and approved by Becker in 2013. They are:

1. Evaluate the number of essential amino acids and protein quality.

2. To approximate the chemical composition.

3. Identification of non-biogenic toxic compounds.

4. To determine the biogenic toxic substances.

5. Contamination of microbial pathogens, which includes sanitary analysis.

6. To follow toxicology and safety evaluations, algae are used skillfully in food to get nutrition, protein, dietary fibers, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, pigments, and trace elements to the individual's body besides their additional properties like flavorful, bioaccessible, and processable.

What Are the Main Value-Added Uses of Algae in Foods?

• The supply of omega-3 fatty acids is a significant contribution by the algae, which helps to take over the role of fish meat in the diet.

• Some microalgae are directly replaced by long-chain fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are generally ingested via fish oil.

• Natural pigments like carotenoids (beta carotene, lycopene, and astaxanthin) and xanthophylls (lutein, zeaxanthin) are the primary algae sources with physiological effects on human health.

• Essential microelements are used for human consumption and metabolism. The intake of algae-enriched foods provides microelements, and also algae have trace elements of minerals, zinc, iron, selenium, potassium, and calcium.

• Fish and shellfish can be substituted with the algae because of their unique flavors, like salty, grassy, nutty, and umami, to extend neutral.

• Certain algae can produce vitamin B12, or cobalamin, generally found in animal products, mainly Arthrospira platensis.

• The exciting feature of this algae is it can prevent possible deficiency from a vegan diet.

What Are the Challenges Surrounding Algal Usage and Food Acceptance?

• The palatability of algal biomass in terms of sensory inputs like taste, color, aroma, and textured mouth-feel are the important challenges faced in using algae in the food system.

• Algae consist of four typical odor-active volatile chemicals are:

1. Sulfuric compounds such as dimethyl sulphuric, dimethyl disulfide, and methanethiol

2. The action of microbial activity results in the production of the nitrogen-containing compound called trimethylamine. This activity helps reduce the osmolyte trimethylamine oxide into trimethylamine.

3. Auto-oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids or lipoxygenase activity helps to produce fatty-acid-derived volatile compounds.

4. The presence of specific free amino acids like glutamate, aspartate, and nucleotides help to produce the umami taste compounds, and inosine monophosphate, guanosine monophosphate, and adenosine monophosphate help to get this taste.

• Some authors research the acceptance of algae in food ingredients by consumers.

• For example, the investigation is how spirulina-enhanced food is investigated based on the motivational drivers and barriers to it.

• The results show that sporting individuals, vegetarians, health consciousness, and willingness to compromise on algal food taste are the major motivational drivers of adoption.

What Are the New Products Derived From Algal Biomass?

The best reference that exhibits up-to-date information about the algal industry is from Algae Plant accesses.

New food products are developed based on the presence of microalgae or macroalgae. Some examples are given below:

• In Switzerland, the type of algae called Arthrospira platensis is used in coffee.

• In the United States, red seaweed is used in an alternative to beacon.

• In the United States, red seaweed is used in dense hydrocolloids.

• In France, seaweed and microalgae are used in smoked vegetables.

Conclusion:

In recent years new foods and ingredients using algae, either microalgae or seaweed biomass produced by sustainable food systems, are increasingly grown, which helps to produce sensory, technological, and nutritional products. The major concern of using algae-enriched foods is based on health consciousness and willingness to compromise the taste of algae food products. The sensory appeal of the algal biomass is impacted by the chemical flavor, which is now investigated in several studies. But some studies focused their research on identifying the motivational barriers.

Honey, chlorella yellow powder, soluble protein extracted from Arthrospira coated with coffee beans, phycocyanin pigment distinct blue color sparkling water produced, etc., are the few new sophisticated and developed micro-algal products. The synthesis of volatile compounds, free nucleotides, and amino acids directly affecting the influence of culture conditions will be the future research material.