Dunaliella salina is a species of unicellular green algae that lives mainly in salty seas. They are known for their antioxidant properties, due to the ability to produce carotene in large quantities, which is widely used in the production of cosmetics and dietary supplements. One of the few organisms capable of surviving in such saline conditions as drying salt ponds. A high concentration of β-carotene, which protects algae from intense light radiation and a high concentration of glycerol, which protects them from osmotic pressure, allows them to survive in such conditions. These qualities will allow you to grow algae for commercial purposes.
Beta-carotene is one of the antioxidants that protect the cells of our body from destruction by free radicals, thereby preventing the development of many serious diseases and participating in the fight against early aging.
The cultivation of dunaliella for the production of β-carotene was first established in the USSR in 1966.
Commercial cultivation of dunaliella for the production of β-carotene worldwide is an undoubted success of halophyte biotechnology.
At the same time, various technologies are used — from primitive extensive cultivation of algae in lagoons to intensive cultivation of high-density crops in carefully controlled conditions
The unsaturated structure of beta-carotene allows its molecules to absorb light and prevent the accumulation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species.
salt lakes for the growth
of microalgae
dunaliella salina
Beta-carotene suppresses the production of free radicals. It is assumed that in this way it protects the cells of the immune system from damage by free radicals and can improve the state of immunity. Beta-carotene is a natural immunostimulator that increases the immune potential of the body regardless of the type of antigens, that is, it acts non-specifically.