Fractionation of residual algal biomass - potential for value-added products

Demand for plant proteins has steadily increased around the world and is expected to explode in the near future, due to a lack of sufficient meat proteins. Technologies for protein isolation and enrichment will be crucial to provide adequate nutrition. In addition to, e.g. rapeseed press cakes and cereal cell wall materials, substantial amounts of proteins could be available from algae. The functional and nutritional value of these protein fractions may be utilized for several purposes, if successfully fractionated from the cell matrix. In addition, algal polysaccharides may provide an interesting raw material for the development of novel sustainable biomaterials for replacement of oil-based synthetic materials. Hence, fast and reliable analytical methods are required to for biomass fractionation, especially those which preserve the protein and polysaccharide components present.