ABSTRACT
Extremophilic microalgae are the primary producers, which have the potent ability to produce high-value products, in a stress-driven environment. The recent advancement in algal cultivation systems has drawn attention to optimize production of bioactives in outdoor as well indoor growth conditions, under extreme regimes of light, salinity, temperature, nutrients and other growth parameters. This led several industrial sectors to shift their focus on the bioactive components from these untapped natural resources, owing to their multiple applications. In regard to this, the chapter describes the morphological diversity of extremophilic microalgae, followed by the commercially employed growth engineering systems to generate massive biomass. Based on the performance, algal cells are isolated to accumulate a high concentration of value-added compounds and are analyzed for their tolerant competency. Finally, the chapter highlights the significance of extremophilic algae in the biological, pharmaceutical and industrial sector and also covers the recent developments on EPA and DHA (Omega 3-PUFAs) production, that can reduce excess demand from the fish stock. All these aspects suggest extremophilic algae to be a viable candidate for feedstock and biotechnological applications.
