Microalgae: Omics Approaches for Biofuel Production and Biomedical Research

Rapidly emerging countries like India and China are lifting millions of people out of poverty. This perpendicular growth in the number of people demanding access to reliable and affordable energy will drive energy demand in the decades to come. Much effort has been employed toward optimizing microbes and predominantly microalgae, to resourcefully produce compounds that can be substitute for fossil fuels. Oils acquired from algal feedstock are rich in triacylglycerols and could be converted into biodiesel via transesterification. Apart from the triacylglycerols and carbohydrates which are predominant in microalgae, there are several biomolecules like pigments and vitamins which play crucial role in pharmaceutical industries. There is an urgent need to understand which drives the production of such economic important biofuels or chemicals to improve the sustainability of the process. Integrative omics is a strong technique to know the complete system of microalgae and develop as microbial cell factories. Genomics and transcriptomics of microalgae have provided basic understanding toward lipid biosynthesis. Proteomics and metabolomics are now complementing “microalgal omics” and offer accurate functional insights into the attendant static and dynamic physiological contexts. Current chapter focuses on the application of omics approaches which considered powerful tools for a better understanding of algae cells metabolism. Then, the data would be used to develop sustainable strategies for biodiesel and by-products yield and quality improvement and a profitable microalgae industry.