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Updated: Oct 9, 2025

Author Spotlight: Optimizing Growth Factors for Production of Biotechnologically Relevant Secondary Metabolites
Published on: October 25, 2024
Carotenoid Production from Microalgae: Biosynthesis, Salinity Responses and Novel Biotechnologies
Yuanyuan Ren1,2,3, Han Sun2,3, Jinquan Deng2,3
1Institute for Food and Bioresource Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Abstract:
Microalgae are excellent biological factories for high-value products and contain biofunctional carotenoids. Carotenoids are a group of natural pigments with high value in social production and human health. They have been widely used in food additives, pharmaceutics and cosmetics. Astaxanthin, β-carotene and lutein are currently the three carotenoids with the largest market share. Meanwhile, other less studied pigments, such as fucoxanthin and zeaxanthin, also exist in microalgae and have great biofunctional potentials. Since carotenoid accumulation is related to environments and cultivation of microalgae in seawater is a difficult biotechnological problem, the contributions of salt stress on carotenoid accumulation in microalgae need to be revealed for large-scale production. This review comprehensively summarizes the carotenoid biosynthesis and salinity responses of microalgae. Applications of salt stress to induce carotenoid accumulation, potentials of the Internet of Things in microalgae cultivation and future aspects for seawater cultivation are also discussed. As the global market share of carotenoids is still ascending, large-scale, economical and intelligent biotechnologies for carotenoid production play vital roles in the future microalgal economy.
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