Algae have been consumed for millennia in several parts of the world as food, food supplements, and additives, due to their unique organoleptic properties and nutritional and health benefits. Algae are sustainable sources of proteins, minerals, and fiber, with well-balanced essential amino acids, pigments, and fatty acids, among other relevant metabolites for human nutrition. This review covers the historical consumption of algae in Europe, developments in the current European market, challenges when introducing new species to the market, bottlenecks in production technology, consumer acceptance, and legislation. The current algae species that are consumed and commercialized in Europe were investigated, according to their status under the European Union (EU) Novel Food legislation, along with the market perspectives in terms of the current research and development initiatives, while evaluating the interest and potential in the European market. The regular consumption of more than 150 algae species was identified, of which only 20% are approved under the EU Novel Food legislation, which demonstrates that the current legislation is not broad enough and requires an urgent update. Finally, the potential of the European algae market growth was indicated by the analysis of the trends in research, technological advances, and market initiatives to promote algae commercialization and consumption.

Recent socio-political and economic factors encourage development of bioenergy and biofuels. The aim of this paper is to provide an updated review of the most promising technologies for sustainable production of advanced liquid biofuels, specifically transportation fuels. The focus is on second generation biofuels since they do not compete with land required for arable and pastoral use; therefore, first generation biofuels are not included in this review. Upon evaluation the authors recognise the most promising liquid biofuels to include bioethanol, biobutanol, biodiesel, green diesel, biomethanol, dimethyl ether, bio-oil, and biojet fuel. The order of the paper follows a specific structure. Initially, a detailed description, including physical and chemical properties, is given for each liquid biofuel. Then a review of production pathways for each fuel is given, including details regarding the feasibility of integrating it into the current liquid fuel infrastructure. Furthermore, a discussion of the challenges associated with current production pathways is provided.