Advances in the Production of High-Value Products by Microalgae

Abstract Microalgae are considered a promising source for various high-value products, including carotenoids and omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Excluding production by heterotrophic fermentation, only two microalgal high-value products are successfully marketed at a relevant scale: β-carotene from Dunaliella salina, and astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis. In addition, Chlorella and Spirulina biomass are marketed in large volumes as nutraceuticals, and phycocyanin extracted from cyanobacteria has gained major market share recently. Additional algal strains of industrial potential have been described for the production of high-value products, such as carotenoids and PUFAs, or for biofuels production, and novel promising strains continue to be reported. However, phototrophic production of algal products is considered 2–5 times more expensive than competing pathways for both high-value products and bulk biomass. Recent—and often still unpublished—advances have been made in deci...