Health applications of bioactive compounds from marine microalgae

Marine microalgae and cyanobacteria are very rich in several chemical compounds and, therefore, they may be used in several biological applications related with health benefits, among others. This review brings the research up-to-date on the bioactive compounds produced by marine unicellular algae,...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor principal: Raposo, M. Filomena de J. (author)
Outros Autores: Morais, Rui M. S. C. (author), Morais, Alcina M. M. B. (author)
Formato: article
Idioma:eng
Publicado em: 2014
Assuntos:
Texto completo:http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/14273
País:Portugal
Oai:oai:repositorio.ucp.pt:10400.14/14273
Descrição
Resumo:Marine microalgae and cyanobacteria are very rich in several chemical compounds and, therefore, they may be used in several biological applications related with health benefits, among others. This review brings the research up-to-date on the bioactive compounds produced by marine unicellular algae, directly or indirectly related to human health. It covers and goes through themost studied applications of substances such as PUFA, sterols, proteins and enzymes, vitamins and pigments, in areas so diverse as human and animal nutrition, therapeutics, and aquaculture. The great potential of marine microalgae and the biocoumpounds they produce are discussed in this review.