ABSTRACT
Finding resources to meet the present demand while conserving for the future is the sustainable developmental goal. Nevertheless, fulfilling this task globally for meeting the food requirements of the growing population of the world is a difficult challenge. The conventional energy-intensive and environment damaging agriculture is incapable of doing it. In this context, freshwater green microalgae, which are highly biodiverse and easily cultivable photosynthetic organisms, emerge as a highly relevant biomass resource. Photosynthetic microalgae are the fastest producible biomass resource on the earth. Many of them are rich in nutritionally and medicinally valuable compounds. Already, certain nutraceutical products from rare algal species such as Spirulina spp., Chlorella spp., and Dunaliella spp. are available in the market. However, the future of the industry depends on the discovery of more indigenous strains for the purpose. Recently, many species of green algae, rich in a wide range of nutritionally and medicinally valuable compounds, well adapted to diverse local environments, and their culture feasibilities are known worldwide. The present chapter thoroughly examines recent research on opportunities and challenges of using microalgae as a nutraceutical, nutritional, and medicinal resources, and the current market position of the same. The research gaps and specific tasks involved in using algae as nutraceutical resources are also discussed.
