Affiliation:
1. Regional Center for Food and Feed, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt
Abstract
“Algae” represent a diverse group of photosynthetic organisms ranging from single cell to massive kelp that are found in all ecosystems on our planet. Algae play an essential role for life; they account for almost 50% of the photosynthesis activity on earth. The biochemical composition of algae includes a variety of high-value products such as pigments, lipids, carbohydrates, amino acids, and many other bioactive compounds. Algal biochemical compounds are variable among the different species and are highly dependent on the algal culture conditions such as temperature, nutrients, light, etc. In the recent years, algal biotechnological applications are on the spot. Algae are exploited for several biotechnological uses such as for biofuels, bio fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, bioremediators, and others. This chapter discusses the biochemistry and biotechnology of algae with emphasizing on the high-value biochemical algal compounds and trending algal biotechnological applications.