Tang Wei, Wang Rui, Liu Weilin, He Jianfei, Liu Jianhua
College of Food Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, PR China; Research and Experimental Base for Whole Grain Nutrition Food Processing Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, PR China.
School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, PR China.
Food Res Int. 2025 Oct;217:116783. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116783. Epub 2025 Jun 10.
Algae oil is highly favored due to its high content of docosahexaenoic acid and a variety of functions. This paper comprehensively discusses the resources, production and encapsulation systems of algae oil, and the potential solutions for its food application are also provided. Current studies demonstrate that the primary sources of algae oil include Schizochytrium sp., Ulkenia sp., and Crypthecodinium cohnii, and recent research has primarily focused on increasing DHA content, such as using hydrodynamic cavitation technology (improving the microalgae cell disruption efficiency) and urea complexation (enriching DHA). Because of low water-solubility, poor oxidative stability, and low bioavailability, emulsions and microcapsules are the most used encapsulation methods for the development of algae oil products, which can significantly enhance their stability. Soft capsules and drops are the most popular forms of algae oil products, and they are also widely used in dairy products, gel candy and other foods. However, its industrial application is still limited by high costs and insufficient research on the synergistic effects of other food matrices. This article proposes that in the future, attention should be focused on optimizing the high-density cultivation process of algae in the laboratory, developing hybrid encapsulation technologies (such as the synergy of liposomes and microcapsules), innovatively designing low-cost functional foods, and verifying clinical bioavailability, to promote the wide application of algae oil in the food industry.
藻油因其富含二十二碳六烯酸以及具有多种功能而备受青睐。本文全面探讨了藻油的资源、生产及包封体系，并提出了其在食品应用中的潜在解决方案。目前的研究表明，藻油的主要来源包括裂殖壶菌属、乌尔肯藻属和寇氏隐甲藻，近期研究主要集中在提高二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）含量，例如采用水力空化技术（提高微藻细胞破碎效率）和尿素络合法（富集DHA）。由于藻油水溶性低、氧化稳定性差且生物利用度低，乳液和微胶囊是开发藻油产品最常用的包封方法，这可显著提高其稳定性。软胶囊和滴剂是藻油产品最常见的形式，它们也广泛应用于乳制品、凝胶糖果和其他食品中。然而，其工业应用仍受高成本以及对其他食品基质协同效应研究不足的限制。本文提出，未来应关注在实验室优化藻类的高密度培养工艺、开发混合包封技术（如脂质体与微胶囊的协同作用）、创新设计低成本功能性食品以及验证临床生物利用度，以促进藻油在食品工业中的广泛应用。
