Current and promising applications of seaweed culture in laboratory conditions

The cutting-edge technique of seaweed cell and tissue culture can be used for a wide range of biotechnological applications, such as the clonal propagation of material for mariculture. However, to control growth, development and obtain secondary metabolites, more complex techniques still need to be proposed and studied. Recent applications of laboratory conditions culture techniques provided us with knowledge of competent cells to induce growth, more effective chemical regulators in culture medium, adjustment towards the addition of carbon and nitrogen sources, and the development of protoplast cultures and algae cells that is supporting the use of techniques in the era of genomic applications. All information is scattered in a large number of reports showing the application in laboratory conditions culture techniques for different purposes. In this way, the objective of the present work is to provide specific data from 89 articles published in the last years which include laboratory conditions cultivation techniques in its experimental proposals for different objectives. The review was categorized into 3 main components: i) seaweeds and current applications using culture techniques in conditions of laboratory; ii) abiotic parameters of cultivations in conditions of laboratory and iii) current biotechnological natural products and economic importance of these marine algae. We were able to classify these articles reviewed into four groups: physiology and development; biological interactions; metabolite production; and a final one with innovative studies, such as out planting, reforestation, cryopreservation, transcriptomic and genomic studies. Our results support the interest of researchers in the development and use of bioprocesses in laboratory conditions culture of macroalgae. •Perspectives and challenges in macroalgae cultivation under laboratory conditions.•The identified species of seaweeds have potential for biotechnology and aquaculture.•Seaweed applications include obtaining bioproducts, biofilters and biofuels.•Micropropagation is still the most used in vitro technique in macroalgae cultures.•More detailed knowledge of the protocols of cultivation techniques is still lacking.