Hanaa H. Abd El Baky^,, Gamal S. El-Baroty

Microalgae have been widely used as novel sources of bioactive substances. Along with this trend, the possibility of replacing synthetic preservatives with natural ones is receiving much attention. In general, microalgae are rich in various phytochemicals like carotenoids, phycocayanine, phenolics, amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and sulphated polysaccharides. These compounds are providing excellent various biological actions including, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy effects. Their healthy benefit seemed to be due to different biochemical mechanisms. However, some microalgae species such as Chlorella, Spirulina and Dunaliella species have been used in several areas in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, nutrition and functional quality of foods. In 2006, World Health Organization has been described Spirulina as one of the greatest super-foods on earth serving as an example of the potential of microalgae. This review provides background on current and future uses of microalgae as novel source of health promoting compounds.

microalgae, antioxidant, nutrition, biological activities, functional food