AS A RESOURCE OF FOOD AND FEED:ALGAE

Food supply security is at risk due to factors such as improper agricultural practices, increase in human population, soil and water pollution. To cope with this risk, the search for an innovative, sustainable and effective food alternative has arisen. Algae have been used as a food source for many years because they have the nutritional composition that is the basic need of a living thing. Algae contain macronutrients such as usable protein, fat and carbohydrates, as well as essential amino acids and fatty acids. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals and pigments with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Studies on algae, which can be used in many areas such as biofuel production, C capture, wastewater treatment, have begun to focus on the production of high-value molecules. In recent years, algae-based food products containing these high-value molecules have been designed and commercialized. These products have a significant place in the algal biotechnology market and all the countries of the world have started to realize this. Algae have the potential to be used as human food as well as animal feed. Since algae contain more protein compared to traditional agricultural products and do not need to occupy agricultural land for their production, they are seen as a remarkable source of biomass in animal feed. In addition, intensive microalgae production for animal feed contributes to sustainable agriculture by absorbing the salinity and drought caused by the brutal use of agricultural lands, global warming by absorbing carbon, and preventing agricultural pollution by using nitrogen and phosphorus. There are still some obstacles to the use of algae as food and feed. however, when its economic return and efficiency are evaluated, it is clearly understood that they are the most important organisms for the prevention and overcoming of the food and environmental problems awaiting humanity in the future. Further studies are needed to optimize culture conditions, the effects of culture stress parameters on biochemical composition and molecular pathway studies, and to increase biomass productivity per unit volume. If algal biotechnology studies continue at the current pace, all these obstacles will be overcome in the next 10 years and the algal biotechnology market will have increased at least 3 times. In this chapter, the potential of algae as food and feed, the current status of algal biotechnology applications in this field, their contribution to the economy and the environment, the obstacles in front of this sector and what needs to be done to overcome will be focused on.