A “Phyconomic” approach to the exploitation of algal biomass

Macroalgae is a promising source of bioactive substances such as pigments, fatty acids, polysaccharides, sterols or halogen-organic compounds. With a view to traceability, not only of products but also of raw materials, DNA barcoding allows organisms to be permanently "labelled", regardless of any subsequent taxonomic or nomenclatural variations. The productivity of massive crops is frequently conditioned by pathogens. New pathogens are continuously isolated from aquaculture facilities even if the etiology of these pathologies is not fully understood. The optimization of massive production through maintenance cultures in the laboratory represents a salient point of experimentation in this field. Therefore, based on the requests of the manufacturing companies, the techniques for controlling contamination in crops and the influence of environmental parameters on product quality and biomass yield currently represent the topics of greatest interest. The aim of the research work is the improvement of cultivation and molecule extraction techniques, as well as the evaluation of the possibilities of European native species of macroalgae. Interest was directed to the search for species relevant for extraction protocols in biorefineries, with two or more products deriving from a single starting biomass, with the aim of selecting and genetically labeling the best species from both the quantitative and qualitative of the extracts. A final analysis was also carried out on the feasibility and scalability of the various pilot projects, both in terms of yields and costs, in the framework circular economy, aiming at the sustainable exploitation of an environmentally friendly resource with a positive environmental impact.