Untapping the potential of algae for β-glucan production: A review of biological properties, strategies for enhanced production and future perspectives.

β-Glucan, a naturally occurring polymer of glucose, is found in bacteria, algae, fungi, and higher plants (barley, oats, cereal seeds). Recently, β-glucan has gained attention due to its multiple biological roles, like anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Globally, bacteria, mushrooms, yeast and cereals are used as conventional sources of β-glucan.

Harnessing the potential of microalgae-based systems for mitigating pesticide pollution and its impact on their metabolism.

Due to increased pesticide usage in agriculture, a significant concentration of pesticides is reported in the environment that can directly impact humans, aquatic flora, and fauna. Utilizing microalgae-based systems for pesticide removal is becoming more popular because of their environmentally friendly nature, ability to degrade pesticide molecules into simpler, nontoxic molecules, and cost-effectiveness of the technology. Thus, this review focused on the efficiency, mechanisms, and factors governing pesticide removal using microalgae-based systems and their effect on microalgal metabolism.

Antibiotic occurrence, environmental risks, and their removal from aquatic environments using microalgae: Advances and future perspectives.

Antibiotic pollution has caused a continuous increase in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in aquatic environments worldwide. Algae-based bioremediation technology is a promising eco-friendly means to remove antibiotics and highly resistant ARGs, and the generated biomass can be utilized to produce value-added products of industrial significance. This review discussed the prevalence of antibiotics and ARGs in aquatic environments and their environmental risks to non-target organisms.

Assessing the potential for nevirapine removal and its ecotoxicological effects on Coelastrella tenuitheca and Tetradesmus obliquus in aqueous environment.

Remediation of the antiretroviral (ARV) drug, nevirapine (NVP) has attracted considerable scientific attention in recent years due to its frequent detection and persistence in aquatic environments and potential hazards to living organisms. Algae-based technologies have been emerging as an environmentally friendly option for the removal of pharmaceutical compounds, but their ARV drug removal potential has not been fully explored yet. This study aimed to explore the ecotoxicity and removal potential of NVP by two microalgal species, Coelastrella tenuitheca and Tetradesmus obliquus.

Insights into the potential impact of algae-mediated wastewater beneficiation for the circular bioeconomy: A global perspective.

Algae-based technologies are one of the emerging solutions to societal issues such as accessibility to clean water and carbon-neutral energy and are a contender for the circular bioeconomy. In this review, recent developments in the use of different algal species for nutrient recovery and biomass production in wastewater, challenges, and future perspectives have been addressed. The ratio and bioavailability of nutrients in wastewater are vital parameters, which significantly impact nutrient recovery efficiency and algal biomass production.

Prospective options of algae-derived nutraceuticals as supplements to combat COVID-19 and human coronavirus diseases.

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 that has created huge trepidation worldwide, has a mortality rate of 0.5% to 1% and is growing incessantly. There are currently no therapies and/or vaccines that may help abate this viral disease, but the use of masks and social distancing can limit the spread.

Bioprospecting and indexing the microalgal diversity of different ecological habitats of India.

Our study reports the collection, biodiversity analyses, isolation and identification of microalgae from different habitats of India. Cyanophyceae and Chlorophyceae were the most dominant algal groups recorded, with the highest number being recorded for non-heterocystous cyanobacteria (48), followed by 44 unicellular forms. Sagar Island, Sunderbans recorded the greatest number of algae, and unicellular/colonial green algae were present in all the samples.

Exploring nutritional modes of cultivation for enhancing lipid accumulation in microalgae.

The objective of this study was to identify the most promising nutritional mode of growth for enhanced biomass and lipid productivity in a set of twenty microalgal strains, grown under photoautotrophic and mixotrophic/heterotrophic conditions using 2% glucose as carbon source. These included four cyanobacterial strains (Cyanosarcina, Phormidium, Nostoc and Anabaena) and sixteen green algae belonging to six genera (five strains each of Chlorella and Chlorococcum, two of Scenedesmus and one each of Chlamydomonas, Kirchneria, Bracteacoccus and Ulothrix). Lipid productivity ranged from 2-13% under photoautotrophic conditions, 1.

Biochemical modulation of growth, lipid quality and productivity in mixotrophic cultures of Chlorella sorokiniana.

The genus Chlorella is a widely employed microalga for biodiesel, as it can be grown using photo/mixo/heterotrophic mode of cultivation. The present investigation was undertaken with the hypothesis that addition of different substrates (amino acids, carbon sources, vitamins) along with reducing agents may aid in diverting Acetyl CoA to malonyl CoA or fatty acid biosynthesis, under mixotrophic conditions in Chlorella sorokiniana. Preliminary investigations undertaken with two reducing agents individually (sodium thiosulphate and methyl viologen) along with selected substrates revealed the promise of sodium thiosulphate (1%) in enhancing lipid accumulation significantly.

Algal diversity in flowing waters at an acidic mine drainage "barrens" in central Pennsylvania, USA.

Microscopic investigations were undertaken to decipher the diversity in the lotic algal communities from acidic waters (pH 2.4-3.2) flowing overland in sheets and channels at an acid mine drainage (AMD) barrens near Kylertown, PA, USA.