Opening the Algal Gateway

Microalgae and seaweeds have been discussed as a promise of bolstering the blue economy and green technologies, potentially emerging as a primary future source for food, animal feed, and biofuel. Additionally, they are seen as a naturally sustainable reservoir of bioactive compounds, described for the first time in this book as “phycochemicals”, possessing a wide array of applications for the betterment of humanity. Despite these hopeful prospects, the reality presents a different picture, where many of the established production facilities, particularly in Europe, remain modest in scale, and the sector as a whole is still in its developmental stages. The question arises, why this is still the case considering the vast amount of research conducted over decades? Extraction of valuable compounds from algae through integrated biorefinery approach could offer a solution to this quandary, creating a resource-efficient economy. Algae exhibit the capacity to yield high-value phycochemicals including pigments, polysaccharides, essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and can be used as feedstock for biofuels. This piece of work serves as a compendium of the most recent research, primarily centered around the realm of value-added compounds derived from algae. The overarching aim is to champion an integrated biorefinery system that could make algal production economically viable in the future. A worldwide multidisciplinary research is needed in order to cover the research on this topic from algae cultivation to different phycochemicals production and commercialization. This could allow decision makers, stakeholders, and producers to enhance the legislations and production system. The primary objective of this chapter is to wrap up and summarize the information that has been discussed throughout the 17 additional chapters of this book.