Nutritional and functional assessment of haloarchaea and microalgae from the Andalusian shoreline: Promising functional foods with a high nutritional value

Marine microbiota is garnering increasing interest as a potential source of novel foods with enhanced nutritional and functional properties. In this study, the proximate composition and antioxidant capacity of five haloarchaea and microalgae species from the Andalusian Atlantic shoreline (Halobacterium salinarum, Haloarcula hispanica, Dunaliella salina, C5 and C13, and Picochlorum spp) were compared to two freshwater species (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella sorokiniana). All the species studied exhibited high protein content and antioxidant activity, with noticeable variations in total mineral content and fatty acid profile. Among the four extraction methodologies tested to prepare functional extracts, forced aqueous extraction followed by protein hydrolysis resulted in significantly greater yields and antioxidant activity, while microalgae demonstrated higher activity compared to haloarchaea tested in the present study. In conclusion, the diverse species examined displayed high nutritional and functional value, showing great potential to be part of the human diet as rich sources of readily available protein and antioxidant compounds.