Natural Pigment of Selected Blue-Green Algae and Their Antioxidant and Antimicrobials Activities

The Islamic dietary and consumption system is distinct and unique compared to other ethnic dietary systems. The global community has only recently begun to recognise the significance of the Muslim requirement for halal food and other consumption. This study is focusing on exploring photosynthetic pigments in microalgae that is highly potential to be utilised as a natural and halal food colorant. Carotenoid is the pigment of interest in this research as an alternative to the synthetic food colorant in the market. The argument that the synthetic food dyes contain harmful carcinogenic substances had led to a search for natural colorants as an alternative. In contrast with health threatening substances that is found in synthetic colorants, Cyanobacteria possesses health-promoting phytocompounds thus making it a good alternative. With regards to the said concerns, we have proposed the idea to study the behaviour of algae and environmental factor that affects the production of carotenoids. In this study, blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) were chosen as the candidates due to its resemblance of higher plants. Carotenoid pigments were extracted from them and subjected to further analysis via High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Thus, studies on carotenoids have revealed that their biosynthesis and distribution in microalgae are influenced by various factors, including species-specific traits and environmental conditions. The finding found the potential applications in different fields, paving the way for further research and practical use.