Are Algal Proteins a Viable Alternative to Animal Protein? - A Review
Maria Silva*
CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
*Corresponding Author: Maria Silva, CEB-Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal.
Received:
April 20, 2022; Published:
Abstract
Protein is a macronutrient extremely important for human health. This macronutrient presents a wide variety of biological functions - structural, catalytic, storage, signaling, protective - and, therefore, it is essential that individuals include it properly in their dietary patterns. Nonetheless, the extreme dependency on livestock to fulfill human requirements has a strong negative impact on the environment. Future predictions point to an increase of the global population from 7.7 billion to 11.2 billion by the end of the century and not enough alternative and efficient solutions to overcome this problem.
Algae represent a promising source since, when compared to vegetal sources, they have higher growth and photosynthesis rates. Besides, their potential to produce bioactive compounds that can be included in co-production with protein and the dispensability of arable land for their cultivation make them excellent candidates to support this demand.
This article aims to present a review of the scientific literature on the protein algal properties and their ability to replace animal protein.
Keywords: Protein; Algae; Food Sustainability; PDCAAS
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