Cover Article | Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica: Research Progress on Microalgal Proteins

Congratulations! Recently, the cover produced by the ScienceNet Science Visualization Team for the journal Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica has been officially published.

Review Content

Volume 50, Issue 9 of Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica has recently been published online. The cover article is a review titled "Research Progress on Microalgal Proteins" by Bi Yonghong's team at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Microalgae are a group of very small, photosynthetic organisms that, like land plants, can use light energy, carbon dioxide, and nutrients to synthesize their own biomass, but their "mode of production" is more flexible: some microalgae can grow autotrophically or mixotrophically in ponds or closed culture systems, some can adapt to environments such as saline water, and some can even grow heterotrophically under dark conditions without occupying large amounts of arable land. More importantly, microalgae absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and grow rapidly, which means that beyond protein production, they also have certain value for resource and environmental utilization; moreover, they can continuously produce biomass in a relatively limited space. Therefore, it is precisely this characteristic of "not competing with people for food, not competing with grain for land" that makes microalgae a novel protein source and a potential protein factory.

Microalgae are not a "future food" that remains confined to the laboratory. Spirulina, Chlorella, and others have already been used in food and nutritional products, and studies have also attempted to add microalgae to foods such as bread, beverages, and plant-based meat; in aquaculture, microalgae as a feed ingredient can provide fish, shrimp, and crabs with nutrients such as protein; it can be seen that microalgae have already become deeply integrated into our lives and production. In addition, microalgae may even become an important member of future space life support systems. The process of microalgal growth can use the carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts to produce oxygen and biomass, not only improving the gas composition of closed environments but also providing astronauts with fresh protein. Therefore, the value of microalgae is not just "something to eat," but may connect multiple fields such as food, feed, and future space life.

Although microalgae proteins already have many applications, numerous challenges remain: from a nutritional perspective, microalgae are indeed very attractive; Spirulina, Chlorella, and others contain relatively rich proteins, including various essential amino acids for the human body, thus holding potential as a protein supplement source; meanwhile, microalgae also contain pigments, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive substances, and feature "high protein, low fat" characteristics with "green and healthy" attributes. However, microalgae proteins are typically encapsulated within cells, and some microalgae cell structures are quite rigid, as if wrapping the proteins in a "shell," which affects the digestive enzymes' access to and digestion of the proteins. Therefore, before turning microalgae into food, it is usually necessary to first break open the cell structures to release the proteins, and then proceed with subsequent processing. Simply put, the real problem that microalgae proteins need to solve is not just "how much protein is inside," but also whether these proteins can be effectively extracted, digested, and utilized.

What truly determines whether a new food can reach the market is never just laboratory research results, but whether it can simultaneously possess safety, nutrition, good taste, and low cost. Microalgae need to go through cultivation, harvesting, processing, and protein extraction, all of which increase production costs; some microalgae also carry an algal odor, and their color and mouthfeel differ from ordinary foods, making them less acceptable to consumers. At the same time, not all microalgae are suitable for consumption, and the screening of edible microalgae strains as well as safety control during cultivation and processing are very important. Therefore, how to make microalgae grow faster, cost less, and be processed more efficiently, while also being safe, healthy, and good-tasting, is the core issue for microalgae proteins to reach the general public's dining table. Only by solving these problems can microalgae truly make the journey from the laboratory into everyday life.

Design Story

This cover focuses on the applications of microalgae in food, medicine, and other fields, with emphasis on highlighting various product scenarios. The image is dominated by green tones; the dark laboratory background on one hand suggests the research and development and production of microalgae in the laboratory, and on the other hand also highlights the green microalgae and cell structures in the culture dish in the foreground.

The cover is produced in a realistic 3D style, with a gradient tone from deep in the distance to light in the foreground highlighting the main elements of the cover, and the green tones matching the journal's thematic visual color scheme. This design ultimately received high recognition from the research team's teachers and the journal editors, and was successfully published!

Journal Introduction

《Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica》is the only Chinese academic journal in the field of hydrobiology in China. It focuses on the major issue in China and worldwide of the continuous deterioration of the aquatic ecological environment and the increasingly serious water-quality-induced water shortage, and provides theoretical basis and technical support for maintaining and improving the ecological environment of water bodies, protecting water resources, and rationally developing fisheries. Since its founding in 1955, it has had a development history of 70 years. Adhering to the publishing philosophy of putting academic quality first, it mainly publishes the latest research papers or reviews in areas such as aquatic ecology and environment, fisheries and biotechnology, and biodiversity and resources.

If you need to create more exquisite illustrations for papers and journal cover images, please choose the ScienceNet scientific research illustration service!

Scan the QR code below to consult the scientific visualization customer service

The ScienceNet scientific visualization team is now officially launching a scientific research illustration training course. The training course is divided into 6 major modules (see the course outline below for details). You are welcome to scan the QR code for consultation!

"Use the brush of art to paint the colors of research"!

ScienceNet looks forward to cooperating with you!