Bioaccessibility of carotenoids from Chlorella vulgaris and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Abstract

Microalgae can contribute to a balanced diet because of their composition. Beside numerous essential nutrients, carotenoids are in the focus for food applications. The bioavailability of carotenoids from photoautotrophic-cultivated Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris) and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) was compared. An in vitro digestion model was used to investigate carotenoid bioaccessibility. Furthermore, the effect of sonication on bioaccessibility was assessed. Lutein was the main carotenoid in both species. C. reinhardtii showed higher amounts of lutein and β-carotene than C. vulgaris. In contrast to C. reinhardtii, no β-carotene and only 7% of lutein were bioaccessible in nonsonicated C. vulgaris. Sonication increased the bioaccessibility of carotenoids from C. vulgaris to a level comparable with C. reinhardtii (β-carotene: ≥ 10%; lutein: ≥ 15%). Thus, C. reinhardtii represents a good carotenoid source for potential use in foods without processing, while the application of processing methods, like sonication, is necessary for C. vulgaris.

Keywords:

• β-carotene
• in vitro digestion
• lutein
• microalgae
• sonication

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Olaf Kruse from the University of Bielefeld for providing us the strain C. reinhardtii wt 13. Furthermore, we thank Maria Dolores Gomez Escobar for her assistance during the preliminary studies.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding information

This work by Andrea Gille was supported by a grant (7533-10-5/91/2) from the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, as part of the BBW ForWerts Graduate Program.