Recent advances of natural pigments from algae

Pigment is an important food additive that plays a major role in the sensory impact of food. And natural sources, healthy and non-toxic edible pigments are receiving a lot of attention. Algae is an important source of natural pigments, and contain chlorophyll, phycoerythrin, carotene, and other natural pigments. Besides staining, the pigment also has powerful physiological activities such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and lipid-lowering. In this paper, three pigments in seaweed were reviewed, and their main structural properties and functions are presented, filling the gap in the review of pigments with seaweed as the main object of introduction. This review provides research basis for the development of new health foods, a new direction for the use of seaweed chlorophyll in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Graphical Abstract