Antimicrobial potential of macro and microalgae against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in food

- Algae is a promising genera with valuable application in human feeding.
- Antimicrobial potential of bioactives from algae remain as a niche of research.
- Novel technologies are emerging to efficiently extract algae bioactive compounds.
- Methanolic and ethanolic algae extracts are the most effective against foodborne bacteria.
- The antimicrobial potential of algae has been validated mainly in meat and bakery products.

Algae are a valuable and never-failing source of bioactive compounds. The increasing efforts to use ingredients that are as natural as possible in the formulation of innovative products has given rise to the introduction of macro and microalgae in food industry. To date, scarce information has been published about algae ingredients as antimicrobials in food. The antimicrobial potential of algae is highly dependent on: (i) type, brown algae being the most effective against foodborne bacteria; (ii) the solvent used in the extraction of bioactive compounds, ethanolic and methanolic extracts being highly effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; and (iii) the concentration of the extract. The present paper reviews the main antimicrobial potential of algal species and their bioactive compounds in reference and real food matrices. The validation of the algae antimicrobial potential in real food matrices is still a research niche, being meat and bakery products the most studied substrates.