Abeer  Dayoub ^*(1)Adnan  Nizam⁽¹⁾

(1). Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, Damascus University, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Abeer  Dayoub, E.mail: abeer84.dayoub@damascusuniversity.edu.sy, Phone No: +963 941141154 )                                                   

Received: 24/08/2023                  Accepted: 9/10/2023

Abstract: 

Microalgae represent a large, untapped source of new bioactive compounds (secondary metabolites) produced by some microalgae when they are subjected to harsh conditions (stress) in their environments such as: changes in salinity, temperature, nutrients, light, and ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, they must quickly adapt to new environmental conditions to survive. These secondary metabolites cannot be found in other organisms. Among these metabolites is astaxanthin (an active antioxidant) produced by the alga Haematococcus pluvialis, and its percentage in the samples study reached 7.86% of the dry weight of red cells. However, the antioxidant activity was higher in green cells extracted with ethanol compared to red cells, in which astaxanthin is in the form of esters of fatty acids.

Keywords: microalgae, astaxanthin, Haematococcus pluvialis, stress, fatty acids ester.

Full paper in Arabic: pdf