title: Chemical composition of microalgae Heterochlorella luteoviridis and Dunaliella tertiolecta with emphasis on carotenoids.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Microalgae have been used as food supplements owing to their high protein, polyunsaturated fatty acid and carotenoid contents. As different carotenoids have distinct properties and the carotenoid composition of microalgae has been poorly explored in the literature, this study determined the complete carotenoid composition of two microalgae species, Heterochlorella luteoviridis and Dunaliella tertiolecta, using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD/MS2). Additionally, the proximate composition and major minerals were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The carotenoid composition of the two microalgae was similar, with 13 carotenoids being found in H. luteoviridis and 12 in D. tertiolecta. The major carotenoids were all-trans-lutein (1.18 mg g-1in H. luteoviridis and 1.59 mg g-1in D. tertiolecta), all-trans-violaxanthin (0.52 mg g-1in H. luteoviridis and 0.45 mg g-1in D. tertiolecta) and all-trans-β-carotene (0.50 mg g-1in H. luteoviridis and 0.62 mg g-1in D. tertiolecta). All-trans-lutein was the predominant carotenoid in both microalgae, representing around 40% (mass fraction) of the total carotenoids. The lutein content found in these microalgae was significantly higher (2-40 times) than that in other important food sources of lutein (e.g. parsley, carrot, red pepper and broccoli).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The microalgae H. luteoviridis and D. tertiolecta are excellent sources of lutein that could be commercially exploited by the food and pharmaceutical industries. Moreover, it was confirmed that both microalgae are good sources of protein, lipids and calcium. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Food Science and Technology Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andressa Bacalau
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Diprat
authors.affiliation: Food Science and Technology Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Menegol
authors.affiliation: Food Science and Technology Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana Ferreira
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Boelter
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ariane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zmozinski
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Goreti
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Rodrigues Vale
authors.affiliation: Food Science and Technology Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eliseu
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Food Science and Technology Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RGS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosane
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rech
mesh_terms: D002338:Carotenoids / Q000737:chemistry*; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D058086:Microalgae / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D002338:Carotenoids
keywords: carotenoids; lutein; microalgae; xanthophylls