This technology provides an antimicrobial composition, an antimicrobial/antioxidant food composition, and a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating infectious diseases, all containing a processed extract obtained by solvent extraction and transesterification of the biomass or culture of the green microalga Scenedesmus intermedius. This extract contains specific amounts of methyl esters, including palmitic acid, stearidonic acid, and linolenic acid.
The rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens due to the overuse of antibiotics has made treating multidrug-resistant bacteria increasingly difficult, creating an urgent need for new substances to replace conventional antibiotics. While microalgae have been widely used in food, pigments, and animal feed, their potential as a renewable natural antimicrobial resource has remained largely untapped due to a lack of research into their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.
This technology involves extracting lipids using one or more solvents—such as water, lower alcohols, hexane, or chloroform—and then converting them into fatty acid methyl esters by adding an alcohol and a base catalyst. The resulting product exhibits antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Bacillus cereus), Gram-negative bacteria (e.g., E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and fungi (e.g., Aspergillus, Candida). Applicable as a natural food preservative, oral hygiene antimicrobial, or raw material for infectious disease treatments, this single microalgal source offers a dual solution for inhibiting bacteria and fungi while providing antioxidant benefits.
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