PhytoNUTRE

Currently, one of society's greatest goals is focused on the search for food sources that satisfy the global needs of the world's population. The growth of the world population is one of the factors driving this search for foods rich in proteins, as well as for new protein sources that satisfy this aim, which is why they have gained special relevance. Microorganisms such as microalgae and cyanobacteria are currently considered a highly relevant superfood with enormous economic and nutritional potential.

The most traded microalgae and cyanobacteria biomass worldwide are Chlorella vulgaris and Arthrospira platensis, respectively. These species contain between 50 and 60% protein, in dry weight, and also have essential vitamins, minerals and other antioxidant compounds in their biochemical constitution, with this biomass considered a nutritionally rich and complete food source, hence being considered a “superfood”. . Both species described above have high protein content, when compared to other reference protein sources, notably corn, wheat and soy, which have around 10, 14 and 37% protein content, respectively, in dry weight. The protein potential of microalgae goes beyond the content and diversity of essential amino acids, being also a great source of several enzymes with wide application in industrial processes (Spier M. et al., 2020). The increasing use of enzymes in various industries has led to a growing increase in the current market, and current production cannot meet the current demand for these biomolecules. Therefore, the PhytoNUTRE project meets this goal and aims to meet the current needs of the market in the area, always focusing on product quality, as well as the health and well-being of consumers.