**3. Conclusion**

Microalgae have been used since time immemorial to provide food to humans and animals, but their nutritional largess has only been exploited very recently to provide high-value products on an industrial scale. Microalgae are currently used for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and food additives, therapeutics, etc. While the effects of microalgae and their nutraceutical products have been tested worldwide to positive results, further health benefits are likely to be discovered with more intensive research. Advances in bioprospecting are required to further isolate and characterize microalgal compounds as they remain among the least explored groups of organisms on the planet. Other key areas of research include the development of efficient and economical microalgal cultivation technologies, metabolic engineering, genomics, and synthetic biology. Increased research and development will no doubt enable greater production as well as the identification and characterization of more microalgal species and continued investigation into their benefits for human health and nutrition.
