Chlorella is one of the few microalgae employed for human consumption. It typically has a high protein content, but it can also accumulate high amounts of lipids or carbohydrates under stress conditions and, for this reason, it is of interest in the production of biofuels. High production costs and energy consumption are associated with its cultivation. This work describes a strategy to reduce costs and environmental impact of Chlorella biomass production for food, biofuels and other applications.

Crackers are widely consumed snack foods and there is an increasing trend in adding functional ingredients to their composition. In the present work, the dried biomasses of four microalgae strains—Arthrospira platensis F&M-C256, Chlorella vulgaris Allma, Tetraselmis suecica F&M-M33, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum F&M-M40—were used as a source of proteins, antioxidants, and other bioactive molecules in artisanal wheat crackers. Two incorporation levels were tested: 2% (w/w) and 6% (w/w). The impact of microalgae addition was evaluated in terms of physical properties, biochemical composition, antioxidant activity, in vitro digestibility, and sensory characteristics. Microalgae crackers presented stable color and texture throughout eight weeks of storage. Microalgae crackers were slightly thinner and lighter than the control but presented a similar density in agreement with scanning electron microscope images, indicating that gas retention was not greatly affected by microalgae addition. Regarding biochemical composition, 6% A. platensis and C. vulgaris crackers presented a significantly higher protein content (13.2–13.5%), for which they could be claimed to be a “source of protein” according to the Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006. A. platensis crackers showed the highest antioxidant activity and attained better sensory analysis scores. T. suecica and P. tricornutum crackers showed high phenolic content and antioxidant activity but attained low sensory scores mainly because of their unattractive fishy off-flavor.

Cyanobacteria can be considered a promising source for the development of new biostimulants as they are known to produce a variety of biologically active molecules that can positively affect plant growth, nutrient use efficiency, qualitative traits of the final product, and increase plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Moreover, the cultivation of cyanobacteria in controlled and confined systems, along with their metabolic plasticity, provides the possibility to improve and standardize composition and effects on plants of derived biostimulant extracts or hydrolysates, which is one of the most critical aspects in the production of commercial biostimulants. Faced with these opportunities, research on biostimulant properties of cyanobacteria has undergone a significant growth in recent years. However, research in this field is still scarce, especially as regards the number of investigated cyanobacterial species. Future research should focus on reducing the costs of cyanobacterial biomass production and plant treatment and on identifying the molecules that mediate the biostimulant effects in order to optimize their content and stability in the final product. Furthermore, the extension of agronomic trials to a wider number of plant species, different application doses, and environmental conditions would allow the development of tailored microbial biostimulants, thus facilitating the diffusion of these products among farmers.

Current projections estimate that in 2050 about 10 billion people will inhabit the earth and food production will need to increase by more than 60%. Food security will therefore represent a matter of global concern not easily tackled with current agriculture practices and curbed by the increasing scarcity of natural resources and climate change. Disrupting technologies are urgently needed to improve the efficiency of the food production system and to reduce the negative externalities of agriculture (soil erosion, desertification, air pollution, water and soil contamination, biodiversity loss, etc.). Among the most innovative technologies, the production of microbial protein (MP) in controlled and intensive systems called “bioreactors” is receiving increasing attention from research and industry. MP has low arable land requirements, does not directly compete with crop-based food commodities, and uses fertilizers with an almost 100% efficiency. This review considers the potential and limitations of four MP sources currently tested at pilot level or sold as food or feed ingredients: hydrogen oxidizing bacteria (HOB), methanotrophs, fungi, and microalgae (cyanobacteria). The environmental impacts (energy, land, water use, and GHG emissions) of these MP sources are compared with those of plant, animal, insect, and cultured meat-based proteins. Prices are reported to address whether MP may compete with traditional protein sources. Microalgae cultivation under artificial light is discussed as a strategy to ensure independence from weather conditions, continuous operation over the year, as well as high-quality biomass. The main challenges to the spreading of MP use are discussed.

Arthrospira platensisis a cyanobacterium known for its widespread use as nutraceutical and food additive. Besides a high protein content, this microorganism is also endowed with several bioactivities related to health benefits in humans that make it a candidate for functional foods. These properties are strain and culture condition dependent. We compared, in terms of biomass productivity and protein, C-phycocyanin, and polysaccharide content, twoA. platensisstrains,A. platensisF&M-C256 andA. platensisF&M-C260, characterized by morphological differences. The organisms were grown in annular photobioreactors with light-emitting diodes (LED) as light source in fed-batch and semi-continuous regimes. No significant differences in biomass productivity were found between the two strains. Both strains showed a protein content >55% in all culture conditions. C-phycocyanin content was higher inA. platensisF&M-C260 in semi-continuous regime. Cellular polysaccharide (PS) content, which included intracellular polysaccharide and those bound to the cell wall, was higher inA. platensisF&M-C256 during semi-continuous cultivation. In both strains, a higher release of polysaccharide was observed at the end of the fed-batch regime.A. platensisF&M-C256 showed the advantage to form clumps which facilitate harvesting, behavior not observed inA. platensisF&M-C260 and probably related to the different predominant monosaccharide found in the PS of the two strains (i.e., rhamnose inA. platensisF&M-C256 and glucose inA. platensisF&M-C260). The results show that the two strains are suitable for commercial production of high-value products, such as protein and C-phycocyanin, while for polysaccharide production,A. platensisF&M-C256 is preferable.

In the coming years biostimulants will play a key role in the sustainable intensification of agriculture due to their capacity to improve crops quality, nutrient use efficiency and tolerance to abiotic stresses. Cyanobacteria are nowadays considered one of the most promising sources of new biostimulants; however, in vivo studies using cyanobacteria are still scarce and often limited to a few genera. In this work the biostimulant activity of five cyanobacterial hydrolysates was evaluated on Ocimum basilicum L. grown in hydroponics. Plants were treated weekly with foliar applications of the cyanobacterial hydrolysates and of two commercial products. Three of the tested cyanobacterial hydrolysates, administered at the concentration of 1 g L^-1, were effective in increasing plant growth (up to +32%), and number (up to +24%) and fresh weight (up to +26%) of the leaves compared to controls. Moreover, the cyanobacterial hydrolysates performed better than the commercial biostimulants. The biochemical characterization of the hydrolysates suggests that the observed bioactivity can be related to a high carbohydrate content. Our results indicate that cyanobacteria-based biostimulants can be an effective tool for sustainably enhancing plant growth and yields.