Abstract

In recent decades products of marine origin have been the subject of intense investigation; new substances with pharmacological and nutraceutical properties have been discovered. On the other hand, processes more economical and friendly to the environment to produce biocompounds are needed. One alternative is biorefinery for the production of diverse bioproducts starting from one raw material. Our research group studied Macrocystis pyrifera as source of carbohydrates and phlorotannins, and the conditions for their extraction have been determined. The production of carotenoids from algal carbohydrates and the use of phlorotannins from the brown seaweed as antioxidant and antibacterial compounds were evaluated. The extraction yield of carbohydrate and phlorotannins were 81.02 ± 8.9 and 1.62 ± 0.13%, respectively. Carbohydrates were used for the growth and production of carotenoids by a marine yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. The carotenoid content of the yeast biomass was 427 mg g−1 of dry biomass. Main carotenoids were lycopene (38.4 ± 9.4%), β-carotene (21.8 ± 1.5%), and astaxanthin (1.8 ± 0.3%). The residual fraction was used as fertilizer for the hydroponic cultivation of lettuce obtaining an increase of 28 ± 2.8% in dry weight. Here, we have demonstrated that M. pyrifera can be used to obtain antioxidants/antimicrobials, as nutrient source for the biotechnological production of carotenoids; moreover, the residue can be used as fertilizer.