Nutraceuticals from Microalgae

Nutraceuticals have been defined as food or food products that can simultaneously provide nutrition and pharmaceutical benefits to the body such as prevention and treatment of diseases (Borowitzka 2013). According to the US Institute of Medicine, this includes “any substance that is a food or part of a food which provides medicinal or health benefits including the prevention and treatment of disease, beyond the traditional nutrients it contains” (Burja and Radianingtyas 2008). They have also been termed as food supplements by the US Food and Drug Administration. Another synonymous term used is functional foods that have been defined as “products derived from natural sources, whose consumption is likely to benefit human health and enhance performance” (Burja and Radianingtyas 2008). This may include the fortification of conventional food to increase its nutritional or health benefit. Nutraceuticals can be either a whole food product (e.g. seaweed) or dietary supplements where the nutraceutical compound(s) may be concentrated to provide the claimed health benefits (e.g. Haematococcus in powder or tablet form or astaxanthin extract).