Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate three species of Dunaliella microalgae (Dunaliella salina, Dunaliella viridis, and Dunaliella sp.) indigenous to Iran as new sources of natural chemical and bioactive compounds for exploring pharmaceutical and nutraceutical potential applications. The results showed that the fat, carbohydrate (mono- and di-saccharide), dietary fiber, and protein content of Dunaliella were in the range of 13.19-25.02, 7.59-12.37, 42.10-48.82, and 17.68-22.50 (%), respectively. Dunaliella salina contained a pigment fraction of 11.50%, which was largely composed of carotenoid (7.41%) and chlorophyll (4.09%). Antioxidant capacity and inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) of Dunaliella salina were 34.54 mg/1000 g and 55.63%, respectively. The lipid profile also revealed that three isolated Dunaliella are remarkable sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids (25.42%-40.13%). Further, the ratios of ∑n-3/∑n-6 (2.79%), docosahexaenoic acid (6.15%), and eicosapentaenoic acid (11.26%) were the highest in Dunaliella salina. The results, thus, proved that Dunaliella spp., especially Dunaliella salina (IBRC-M 50030), which originates from a lake in Semnan province, Iran, has potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its appropriate biopigment, protein, lipid, antioxidant activity, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid.