Algae pigments for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs): the missing color and value

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cause 41 million deaths per year, accounting for 74% of all deaths worldwide. Unhealthy dietary behaviours are recognized as key factors to many prevalent NCDs, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
My research in recent years has allowed me to recognize that pigments have enormous potential to prevent several diseases due to their nutritional and bioactive properties. The work developed during my PhD and in the ALGALUP
Interreg project as researcher indicated that food matrix and extraction processes are crucial to maximize bioactivities. However, besides the studies on these molecules as natural colorants, further research is required to understand the full bioactive potential of these pigments.
Accordingly, this research project aims to contribute to dissecting the functions of algae-derived pigments (e.g.,carotenoids, phycobiliproteins, and anthocyanins) in oxidative stress, inflammation and gut microbiota modulation, to understand their role in bidirectional gut-brain communication and to create new prevention and therapeutic strategies for these NCDs based on dietary, gut microbiota, and immune function modulation.
Therefore, the present proposal aims to: i) study, for the first time, the bilateral pigments-gut microbiota modulation ii) dissect the role of pigment metabolites generated throughout the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and gut-microbiota (GM) on important responses in NCDs management; iii) assess the outcome of dietary pigments on the mechanistic development of the inflammatory response; iv) study to what extent dietary pigments can prevent NCDs.
The feasibility of this proposal, which will strengthen the link between nutritional immunology research and sustainable valorisation, directly linked to my scientific background, including 6 peer-reviewed published papers as first author describing phenolic, carotenoid compounds and their metabolites bioavailability, genotoxic effects, as well as the valorisation of agro-food systems. The strong collaborative networks established with CIIMAR, Rowmterics, GreenColab, UM, UA, IBET, i3S, INIA-CSIC in the framework of Vertical Algas and gBiot (PRR and FCT projects) will contribute successfully to potentiate the proposed work.
The outcomes of this proposal will allow to expand the research lines in the Biobased and Biomedical Products Research Group (BBPR) at CBQF with the principles of the circular economy, with the development and study of new value algae-based, products and contribute to sustainable aquaculture and agri-food industries. Dietary algae pigments' success in immunological modulation could be extended to NCDs prevention and management, increasing its potential as a functional ingredient and benefiting the agro-food industry by allowing algae farmers to produce nutritionally-enriched, biological added-value and convenient algae products.