Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

EPA and DHA in microalgae: Health benefits, biosynthesis, and metabolic engineering advances

This review examines how microalgae can be engineered to produce EPA and DHA, the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids traditionally sourced from fish oil. Microalgae offer a sustainable alternative because fish oil production is threatened by overfishing and climate change. While not directly about microplastics, this research matters because microplastic contamination of seafood is making algae-based omega-3 sources increasingly attractive for human nutrition.

2023 Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Alternative Feed for Aquaculture: State of the Art and Future Perspective

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this review surveys sustainable alternative feed ingredients for aquaculture, covering plant-based proteins, by-products, and insects as replacements for fishmeal and fish oil.

2023 PLANETARY SUSTAINABILITY 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in fishmeal: A threatening issue for sustainable aquaculture and human health

Researchers reviewed how microplastics enter aquaculture systems through contaminated fishmeal — made from wild-caught fish that have ingested ocean plastics — and accumulate in farmed fish that are then eaten by humans. The review calls for improved microplastic screening during fish feed production to protect both aquaculture sustainability and public health.

2022 Aquaculture Reports 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing microalgae for sustainable aquaculture and mariculture: Marine pollution mitigation and circular economy strategies

Researchers reviewed how microalgae can serve as a multipurpose bioremediation tool in aquaculture and mariculture, removing excess nutrients, capturing carbon, and reducing microplastic pollution, while also providing biomass for feed and supporting circular economy approaches that align with UN sustainability goals.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Biological and Nutritional Applications of Microalgae

This review covers the nutritional and health benefits of microalgae, which are tiny photosynthetic organisms rich in proteins, vitamins, and beneficial compounds. While not directly about microplastics, microalgae are relevant to the pollution discussion because they interact with microplastics in water environments and are being explored as sustainable alternatives to plastic-based products.

2024 Nutrients 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the potential of microalgae in removal of microplastics from the environment and scope of this entity as feedstock for biofuel production

This review explores the potential of microalgae to capture and remove microplastics from aquatic environments, examining the mechanisms by which algal cells adsorb or aggregate plastic particles and discussing the feasibility of algae-based remediation at scale.

2025
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in Aquaculture

This review examines how microplastic accumulation in water bodies threatens aquaculture by affecting fish and shellfish growth, reproduction, behavior, and survival, with marine bycatch used as fishmeal identified as a key pathway for microplastic entry into aquaculture feed systems. The authors assess the extent of microplastic invasion into commercial aquaculture operations and the implications for seafood safety.

2024
Article Tier 2

Potential for Using Algae to Reduce Microplastics in the Environment

This review examined the potential of algae to reduce microplastic pollution both by adsorbing and intercepting plastic particles in water and by serving as a feedstock for biosynthesizing biodegradable bioplastics as alternatives to petroleum-based materials.

2025 MATEC Web of Conferences
Review Tier 2

Microplastics – An emerging contaminants for algae. Critical review and perspectives

This review examines how microplastics and nanoplastics affect algae, which are the foundation of aquatic food chains. Microplastics can reduce algae growth, disrupt photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress, with smaller nanoplastics being more harmful. Since algae are at the base of the food web, damage to them can ripple through ecosystems and ultimately affect the seafood that humans consume.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection and characterisation of microplastics and microfibres in fishmeal and soybean meal

Researchers examined fishmeal and soybean meal used as aquaculture feed ingredients and detected microplastics and semi-synthetic cellulosic microfibers in fishmeal but not in plant-based soybean meal. The findings suggest that animal-based aquaculture feeds represent a route of microplastic contamination for farmed fish.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 59 citations
Review Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on microalgae populations: A critical review

This critical review examines how microplastics affect microalgae populations, which are essential primary producers at the base of aquatic food webs. Researchers found that microplastics can reduce algal growth, impair photosynthesis, and cause oxidative stress, with effects varying by plastic type, size, and concentration. The study highlights that harm to microalgae from plastic pollution could have cascading effects throughout entire aquatic ecosystems.

2019 The Science of The Total Environment 452 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Micro-/Nanoplastic (MNPs) Removal by Microalgae and Possible Integrated Routes of Energy Recovery

This review examined the interactions between micro- and nanoplastics and microalgae, covering how microalgae are affected by plastic particles and how they can in turn be used to remove plastics from aquatic environments. The authors identify microalgae-based systems as promising tools for combined plastic removal and biomass production.

2022 Microorganisms 51 citations
Article Tier 2

The contribution of aquaculture systems to global aquaculture production

This review examines how global aquaculture has grown since 2000 through better feeds, improved management, and intensification, and discusses the environmental challenges that remain. While not directly about microplastics, aquaculture environments are increasingly contaminated with plastic particles, which can accumulate in farmed fish and shellfish that millions of people depend on for food.

2023 Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 219 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in fish and fishmeal: an emerging environmental challenge?

Researchers found that commercial fishmeal, which is used in animal and fish feed, contains about 124 microplastic particles per kilogram, potentially more than the original fish it was made from. This suggests that the manufacturing process may add extra microplastics to the final product. Through marine aquaculture alone, over 300 million microplastic particles could be released into the ocean annually via fishmeal, creating a cycle where microplastics contaminate both farmed and wild seafood that people eat.

2021 Scientific Reports 282 citations
Article Tier 2

Microalgae-based bioremediation of refractory pollutants: an approach towards environmental sustainability

This review examines how microalgae can be used to clean up hard-to-remove pollutants, including microplastics, from contaminated environments. The authors highlight that microalgae-based bioremediation is a sustainable, eco-friendly approach that could help address the growing problem of microplastic pollution in waterways.

2025 Microbial Cell Factories 50 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics – A major contaminant in marine macro algal population: Review

This review identified the occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in marine macroalgae, highlighting macroalgae as both indicators of MP pollution and potential entry points for microplastics into marine food webs.

2023 Marine Environmental Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics on freshwater and marine microalgae

This book chapter reviews the effects of microplastics on freshwater and marine microalgae, covering how different plastic types and sizes affect algal growth, photosynthesis, and reproduction. Microalgae form the base of aquatic food webs, so plastic-induced disruption to algal communities could have cascading effects throughout ecosystems.

2020 IWA Publishing eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and their potential effects on the aquaculture systems: a critical review

This review examines the sources, distribution, and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquaculture systems worldwide. Researchers found that microplastics enter aquaculture through feed, water intake, and atmospheric deposition, and can accumulate in farmed fish and shellfish tissues. The study highlights the need for monitoring programs and mitigation strategies to protect both aquaculture productivity and consumer safety from microplastic contamination.

2020 Reviews in Aquaculture 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Distribution of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems and Their Impacts on Aquatic Organisms, with Emphasis on Microalgae

This review covers the distribution of microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their impacts on aquatic organisms from bacteria to fish, with a focus on effects on microalgae as primary producers. The authors highlight that nanoplastics may be more biologically active than microplastics due to their size and surface reactivity, warranting greater research attention.

2018 Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in aquaculture systems: Occurrence, ecological threats and control strategies

This review summarizes how microplastics contaminate aquaculture systems through fishing gear, feed, and polluted water, and examines their effects on farmed aquatic species. Microplastics accumulate in farmed fish and shellfish, raising concerns about food safety for the millions of people who consume aquaculture products. The authors discuss removal strategies and call for better monitoring to protect both aquaculture sustainability and consumer health.

2023 Chemosphere 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Microalgae as a Source of Biopolymer - A Comprehensive Review

This review examines microalgae as a source of biopolymers for sustainable plastic alternatives, evaluating the potential of algae-derived materials to address the environmental and health harms caused by conventional plastic waste and microplastic pollution through biodegradable substitutes.

2022 Journal Of Biochemical Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Can Plant- and Cell-Based Seafood Improve Human and Planetary Health?: An examination of the environmental, social and economic costs and benefits of seafood alternatives

This white paper reviews the potential environmental, social, and health benefits and drawbacks of plant-based and cell-based seafood alternatives compared to wild-caught fish and conventional aquaculture. The relevance to microplastics lies in the fact that farmed and wild seafood are increasingly contaminated with plastic particles.

2020
Article Tier 2

Microalgae–microplastics interactions at environmentally relevant concentrations: Implications toward ecology, bioeconomy, and UN SDGs

This study investigated how microalgae interact with microplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations, examining growth inhibition, aggregation, and photosynthetic effects, with implications for aquatic ecosystem function and the feasibility of microalgae-based bioremediation.

2023 Water Research 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Occurrence and ecological impact of microplastics in aquaculture ecosystems

This review examines microplastic contamination specifically within aquaculture systems, which are an increasingly important source of protein for human diets worldwide. Researchers found that aquaculture environments accumulate microplastics from external sources like land-based waste and shipping, as well as from the plastic gear, equipment, and feed used in farming operations. The study raises concerns about food safety, as microplastics in farmed seafood represent a direct pathway of human exposure.

2021 Chemosphere 245 citations