“Antimicrobial and antioxidant capacity of Dunaliella salina, Tetraselmis chuii and Isochrysis galbana and their potential use in food.” a systematic review

The main compounds extracted from the biomass of marine microalgae have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects, making the possibility of using these properties in the development of foods feasible. Despite the proven biological activity of microalgae, there are still challenges regarding the production and use of microalgal biomass or its derivatives in food industries that are related to high production costs, and there is little research regarding the evaluation of their safety and the search for their application in food development. Therefore, this research aimed to collect information regarding the biological activities of marine microalgae, which allows their use as a natural antimicrobial additive in food matrices and as an ingredient in the development of functional foods with antioxidant capacity. The search interval for the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines was five years. Different methods for the extraction of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds from the marine microalgae Dunaliella salina, Tetraselmis chuii and Isochrysis galbana were compared and discussed, and the viability of their use and application in food matrices and in the food industry in general were analyzed. It was concluded that there are research gaps in the use of microalgae biomass as an extract, the identification of bioactive molecules for use in the food industry as antimicrobial agents and for the development of functional foods with antioxidant capacity.