Ensuring nutrition and food safety within planetary boundaries: The role of microalgae-based ingredients in sustainable food chain

Although it is unanimous among scientists and researchers that the food production chain is a substantial contributor to environmental challenges, so far, no food ingredient has been evaluated for its environmental performance relative to planetary boundaries. Given this, this study conducts an analysis oriented to food key ingredients considered essential in human nutrition, namely: proteins, β-carotene as a precursor of vitamin A, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids), using life cycle assessment (LCA) linked to the planetary boundary structure, under nine indices: climate change, biosphere integrity, global biogeochemical fluxes, stratospheric ozone depletion, ocean acidification, global freshwater use, land use change, chemical pollution, and atmospheric aerosol loading. Protein sources from animals such as beef, pork, and poultry, β-carotene from palm oil and synthetic routes, and fatty acids from fish oil were also compared to alternative sources from microalgae-based ingredients. The results show that protein ingredients of animal origin and alternatives have largely contributed to the disruption of planetary boundaries. However, the worst environmental performance for protein ingredients studied was attributed to bovine protein, matching three risk indices (climate change, ecotoxicity, and photochemical ozone formation) out of the nine evaluated. On the other hand, among fine chemical food ingredients, only vitamin A from palm oil, which is mostly found in a risk and uncertainty zone, when compared to conventional synthetic processes and microalgae-based; these, in turn, operate fully within safe limits. In contrast, only one planetary index is assigned to the uncertainty zone for polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish oil, the others operate in safe zones equally for microalgae-based processes. Therefore, the conclusions highlight major challenges the food production chain faces to achieve safe and sustainable food. These results guide critical food groups and environmental indicators to prioritize in future efforts to reduce environmental impact.