Comprehensive characterization of the functional activities of pressurized liquid and ultrasound-assisted extracts from Chlorella vulgaris

Chlorella vulgaris has been referred as a potential source of bioactive compounds (carotenoids and fatty acids). In this work, the ability of an environmentally friendly extraction technique such as Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) and a traditional extraction technique such as Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) to obtain functional compounds from C. vulgaris, at analytical scale, has been demonstrated. Seeked bioactivities were antioxidant and antimicrobial, for their interest in the food industry. Therefore, a methodology including analytical extraction, in-vitro assays and chemical characterization via HPLC-DAD and GC–MS has been used to determine the interest of Chlorella as a source of functional food ingredients. Results demonstrated that PLE provide higher yields than UAE while similar bioactivities were obtained. Important concentration of carotenoids (lutein, neoxanthin, β-carotene, etc.), chlorophylls, sterols, phytols, and fatty acids (among others) have been found in Chlorella extracts that could be correlated to the observed biological activity.