sciences

1. Algae resource potential
and commercial utility
By
Dr Sammer Fatima

2. Introduction :
• A simple, non-flowering,
and typically aquatic plant
of a large assemblage that
includes the seaweeds and
many single-celled forms.
Algae contain chlorophyll
but lack true stems, roots,
leaves, and vascular tissue.
Algae

3. Algae as Food
• Many freshwater and marine algae
have been utilized
• as an Algae are rich in proteins,
carbohydrates, oils.
• direct source of food.
• vitamins A,B,C and E and minerals
• Example
• Cyanophyceae (or) Blue green
algae – Nostoc & Spirullina
• Brown Algae – Sargassum
• Green Algae – Chlorella
Spirullina

4. Algae as fodder
• Many sea-weeds are directly
used as feed for cattle, poultry
and aquatic organisms.
Example: Laminaria and
Fucus (Rock weeds, brown
algae)
• Sea-weed meal increases the
egg-laying capacity of
poultry.
Algae as fodder

5. Algae in Agriculture
•Algae as Green Manure
•Sargassum, and Gracilaria are
commonly used as green
manures in agriculture.
•Sea weed manure increases the
yield of barley, potato, coconut
palms, citrus, etc.
Algae in Agriculture

6. Algae as Nitrogen Fixers (Biofertilizers)
• Many blue-green algae have the
ability to fix the atmospheric
nitrogen in the soil.
• Blue green algae are very
common In rice field.
• More then 100 species of blue
green algae can fix nitrogen.
• e.g.: Nostoc, Anabaena,
Spirulina
In rice field

8. Industrial uses of Algae
• In industries, many algae have been used as sources for the extraction of
commercial products such as agar-agar, carrageenin (A food additive made
from a purified extract of red seaweed, commonly used as a thickening
agent. carrageenan synonyms: E407 when used as a thickener, stabilizer,
gelling agent, emulsifier.)
• Agar agar is a gelatinous, polysaccharide obtained from some red-algae
such as Gelidium, Gracilaria.
• Agar-agar is used for making artificial culture media for algae, fungi,
bacteria and plant tissues in biological laboratories.
• Algin is a chemical taken from brown seaweeds. It is used to make
medicine..
• It is used as sizing agent in leather and textile industries.
• It is used in paper making.

9. Algae in Sewage Disposal
• Some species like Chlamydomonas, Chlorella, are living
in sewage water.
• They are mainly useful to clean the water by utilizing
Oxygen.
• They also modified the carbonate material in the water
into N, P, K fertilizers.

10. Show great diversity in pigments.
Many colored pigments like green, red, yellow and blue are found in
algae.
Different groups of algae have different and specific pigment
composition.
Usually found in special plastids called “chromophores”.
Distribution pattern of pigments has great taxonomic significance in algal
systematics.
All algae contain at least one characteristic pigment in their cells.
Pigmentation in Algae

11. Categories of Pigments
Three major categories based on their physical and chemical properties:
Chlorophylls
Carotenoids
Phycobilins

12. Commercial utility of Chlorophylls
Chlorophyll relieves constipation, and also normalizes the
secretion of digestive acids.
Chlorophyll actually helps remove heavy metals from the body.
In the food industry, chlorophyll is used as a natural pigment
ingredient in processed foods.
In the cosmetics industry, chlorophyll is used in soaps and
cosmetics products.

13. Carotenoids
Carotenoids are fat soluble yellow molecules found in algae.
They are closely associated with Chlorophylls and protect
them from photo-damage. Two types of carotenoids are found
in algae:
1. Carotenes
2. Xanthophylls

14. Commercial utility of Carotenoids
Beta-carotene was the first carotenoids from algae to be
commercialized.
Beta-carotene is the precursor for Vitamin A biosynthesis in
the body.
Like all other carotenoids, beta-carotene is an antioxidant. It
protects the body from damaging molecules called free
radicals.
Carotene is also used as a substance to color products such as
juice, cakes, desserts, butter and margarine.

15. Commercial utility of Xanthophylls
Xanthophylls are widely used as feed additives to generate products that
meet consumers’ demands.
An important large-scale application is in poultry farming, where
xanthophylls are added to feed to give the golden color of egg yolk.
Numerous new applications in human food, in the pharmaceutical industry
and in cosmetic products has increased demand for xanthophylls on the
International market.

16. Phycobilins
Phycobilins
(from Greek phykos meaning "alga", and from Latin: bilis meaning "bile")
are light capturing bilins found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of red
algae, glaucophytes and some cryptomonads (though not in green
algae and plants). The phycobilins are especially efficient at absorbing red,
orange, yellow, and green light, wavelengths that are not well absorbed by
chlorophyll a.

17. Commercial utility of Phycobilins:
The phycobilins fluoresce at a particular wavelength, and are,
therefore, often used in research as chemical tags, e.g., by
binding phycobiliproteins to antibodies in a technique known
as IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE.

18. Algae as a source of vitamins and minerals.
• Algae represent a rich source of vitamins and minerals, which makes
them particularly suitable as nutritional supplements.
• Some species of Chlorella genus contain more vitamins than most
cultivated plants.

19. Algae As A Source Of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)
• Among all PUFAs some of the ω-3 are of particular interest, and the most
important nutritionally are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) extracted by algae, Schizochytrium

20. Algae as a source of natural colorants
• Chlorophyll used as a natural colorant is obtained from spinach with the
content of approximately 0.06 mg/g, whereas the Spirulina sp. biomass
contains 1.15 mg/g.
• Biomass in food is particularly interesting because it will provide green
color and also increment the nutritional value. Some algae are a rich
source of carotenoids, used as natural food colorants, an additive for feed,
vitamin supplements and health food products.