Lutein from Microalgae: An Industrial Perspective of Its Production, Downstream Processing, and Market
Hissashi Iwamoto,
Carlos Ricardo Soccol,
Denisse Tatiana Molina-Aulestia,
Juliana Cardoso,
Gilberto Vinícius de Melo Pereira,
Luciana Porto de Souza Vandenberghe,
Maria Clara Manzoki,
Ranga Rao Ambati,
Gokare Aswathanarayana Ravishankar,
Júlio Cesar de Carvalho
Affiliations
Hissashi Iwamoto
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Carlos Ricardo Soccol
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Denisse Tatiana Molina-Aulestia
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Juliana Cardoso
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Gilberto Vinícius de Melo Pereira
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Luciana Porto de Souza Vandenberghe
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Maria Clara Manzoki
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Ranga Rao Ambati
Department of Biotechnology, Vignan’s Foundation of Science, Technology and Research (Deemed to be University), Vadlamudi 522213, India
Gokare Aswathanarayana Ravishankar
C. D. Sagar Centre for Life Sciences, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Dayananda Sagar Institutions, Kumaraswamy Layout, Bangalore 560078, India
Júlio Cesar de Carvalho
Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná–Polytechnic Center, Curitiba 81531-980, Brazil
Lutein, a yellow xanthophyll carotenoid, is increasingly recognized for its nutraceutical benefits, particularly in protecting the retina’s macula from age-related degeneration. Microalgae are a promising source of lutein, which can be a primary product or a coproduct in biorefineries. Certain microalgae exhibit lutein levels (up to 1.7%) surpassing those of common dietary sources like kale, spinach, and egg yolk (approximately 0.7–0.9%). Predominantly associated with photosystem II’s light-harvesting complex, lutein is crucial in photosynthesis and cellular defense. However, being quantitatively minor among cellular constituents, lutein necessitates specialized processing for efficient extraction. Although ubiquitous in microalgae, it is not as easily inducible as β-carotene and astaxanthin in Dunaliella salina and Haematococcus pluvialis, respectively. Currently, microalgal lutein production predominantly occurs at the bench scale, presenting challenges in scaling up. Factors like culture medium significantly influence biomass and lutein yields in industrial production, while downstream processing requires cost-effective, food-grade solvent extraction techniques. This review delves into contemporary methods and innovative progress in microalgal lutein production, emphasizing industrial-scale processes from biomass cultivation to final product formulation. A conceptual industrial process proposed in this review shows that two 10 m3 photobioreactors could produce 108 kg dry mass for Chlorella minutissima, which can be processed into approximately 616 g of lutein extract, or over 6000 capsules of finished nutraceutical daily. Despite lutein production via microalgae being in nascent stages at large scales, existing research provides a solid foundation for well-informed scale-up endeavors.
