Nunes, N.1,2, Barros, Ana I. R. N. A.2, Pinheiro de Carvalho, M.A.A.1,2,3
1ISOPlexis – Centre of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, Madeira University. Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
2Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
3Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Biorefinery is an integrated system that efficiently converts biomass, through physical, chemical, biochemical, and thermochemical procedures into various products. This strategy applied to macroalgae allows to obtain bioactive extracts, bioethanol, lipids, polysaccharides, phycobiliproteins and fertilizers. The usefulness of the bioactive extracts includes nutraceuticals, antibacterial and antifungal products. The implementation of various extraction techniques in a biorefinery strategy, analogous to the oil industry, tends to increase the economic potential of these bioresources, reducing the production of residues or waste, valuing them, or using them as value-added and marketable by-products. Three local marine red macroalgae were used to produce several protein extracts, using phosphate buffer (0,1M, pH 6.8) and a pressurized liquid extractor. Phycoerythrin, a valuable bioactive pigment, was assessed in the protein extracts and higher values were from Grateloupia lanceola (3.11 mg/g dw), followed by Nemalion elminthoides (2.78 mg/g dw) and Asparagopsis taxiformis (0.29 mg/g dw). The extract optimization was performed applying a Box-Behnken design, varying two independent variables, sample weight (100, 200 and 400g fw) and number of cycles (6, 12 and 18). After protein purification, a liquid and solid residue will be assessed as a biostimulant and biofertilizer to evaluate its use in sustainable food production, through tests, where the “Cherry” variety of tomato will be used as a plant model. Reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, promotes crop protection against climate change drivers, such as drought, dilapidation of nutrients and increase of biotic stress, allowing to reach targets of the European Ecological Pact.