Biochemical, Techno-Functional and Sensory Properties of Food Prepared with Algae

 Asians have a long history of consuming seaweeds (macroalgae), such as kombu, wakame, hiziki and nori. They are served with soups, noodles, salads, and sushi to enhance the umami in the cuisines. In terms of nutrition, the addition of seaweeds increases the dietary fiber and mineral contents of the dishes.  Moreover, seaweeds are rich in different hydrocolloids, like agar, alginate and carrageenan which have been authorized as thickeners, stabilizers and emulsifiers (E400–E407a) in the European  Union, and widely used in the food industries. Apart from macroalgae, microalgae have recently become popular nutritional supplements, food ingredients and additives because of their richness in proteins, essential amino acids (EAAs), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), antioxidants, pigments, and antimicrobial compounds, etc. Since both macroalgae and microalgae in general produce broad ranges of metabolites, numerous research have been made to incorporate algal biomass or refined algal metabolites into different food products to improve their nutritional, biochemical, techno-functional and sensory properties. In this review, the applications of different algal biomasses and metabolites in various food products will be summarized. Moreover, the impact of algal ingredients on the sensory profiles of the food products will also be reviewed. The main aim is to shed light on the future development of the applications of algal biomasses and metabolites in the food industries through an extensive review of pertinent literature.