Production of phenolic compounds from Spirulina maxima microalgae and its protective effects

The purpose of this study was to illustrate the enhancing process of phenolics synthesis in Spirulina maxima grown in Zarrouk’s medium supplemented with different concentration of NaNO3 and/or combined with phenylalanine (L-PA). Also, the protective efficacy of Spirulina polyphenolic (SPP) extracts against CCI4-induced microsomal lipid peroxidation and scavenging of hydroxyl radical formation were performed. The results revealed that the levels of NaNO3 and L-PA in growth medium had positive effects on the production of biomass (34-64 mg/day), total phenolics (4.51-16.96 mg/g d.w) and flavonoids (1.32-5.12 mg/g d.w) contents. The highest levels of these compounds were obtained in Zarrouk’s medium containing 3.77 g/L NaNO3 and 100 mg/L L-PA. The HPLC-DAD profile of all phenolic extracts of Spirulina showed the presence of large numbers of phenolic acids and flavonoids, in variable levels. Gallic, chlorogenic, cinnamic, pinostrobin and p-OH-benzoic were found as the mostabundant constituents among different extracts. Polyphenolic of Spirulina exhibited antioxidant effects  CCI4-induced lipid peroxidation (inhibition %) in liver homogenate and on DPPH radical scavenging activity (with IC50 values ranged from 23.22 to 35.62 ìg/ml), in dose-depended manner. Their protective potential was comparable to that of standard phenolic antioxidants (BHT, BHA and -tocopherol, with IC50 values ranged from 13.22 to 23.62 ìg/ml). Thus, S. maxima can be regarded as potent naturalsources of nutraceutical and functional ingredients

Development of new microalgae-based sourdough "crostini": functional aspects of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) addition

The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of Arthrospira platensis F&M-C256 (spirulina) incorporation on the nutritional and functional properties of “crostini”, a leavened bakery product largely consumed in Italy and Europe. Sourdough was used as leavening and fermentation agent and three concentrations of A. platensis F&M-C256 were tested: 2%, 6% and 10% (w/w). Despite a lower volume increase compared to the control, the A. platensis F&M-C256 “crostini” doughs reached a technological appropriate volume after fermentation. At the end of fermentation, no significant differences in microorganisms concentrations were observed. A. platensis F&M-C256 “crostini” showed higher protein content compared to the control. Considering the European Commission Regulation on nutritional claims, “crostini” incorporated with 6% and 10% biomass can be claimed to be a “source of protein”. Six and ten percent A. platensis “crostini” also presented significantly higher antioxidant capacity and phenolics. A significantly lower value of in vitro dry matter and protein digestibility between A. platensis F&M-C256 “crostini” and the control was found. The overall acceptability decreased with increasing A. platensis F&M-C256 addition. The combination of spirulina biomass addition and the sourdough technology led to the development of a novel microalgae-based bakery product with nutritional and functional featuresinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Seaweed polysaccharide-based hydrogels used for the regeneration of articular cartilage

This manuscript provides an overview of the in vitro and in vivo studies reported in the literature focusing on seaweed polysaccharides based hydrogels that have been proposed for applications in regenerative medicine, particularly, in the field of cartilage tissue engineering. For a better understanding of the main requisites for these specific applications, the main aspects of the native cartilage structure, as well as recognized diseases that affect this tissue are briefly described. Current available treatments are also presented to emphasize the need for alternative techniques. The following part of this review is centered on the description of the general characteristics of algae polysaccharides, as well as relevant properties required for designing hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering purposes. An in-depth overview of the most well known seaweed polysaccharide, namely agarose, alginate, carrageenan and ulvan biopolymeric gels, that have been proposed for engineering cartilage is also provided. Finally, this review describes and summarizes the translational aspect for the clinical application of alternative systems emphasizing the importance of cryopreservation and the commercial products currently available for cartilage treatment.Authors report no declarations of interest. Authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the PhD fellowship of Elena G. Popa (SFRH/BD/64070/2009) and research project (MIT/ECE/0047/2009). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS