Gangadhar N. Katkam, Dr.H., PereiraRodrigues, Maria JoãoL, CustódioBarreira, LuísaMalcata, F. XavierJ. C. or Varela J. or Varela J.C.S., Varela2020-08-312020-08-3120162391-5420http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/14656The present work aimed to determine the antioxidant, metal chelating and neuroprotective potential of the unsaponifiable matter (UM) of Tetraselmis chuii to be applied to a biorefinery setting. The UM obtained via saponification from crude lipids extracted from microalgal wet biomass showed a radical scavenging activity (RSA) towards the DPPH radical of 90.7 +/- 1.3% and 57.1 +/- 1.2% at a concentration of 10 and 5 mg/ mL, respectively. The UM fraction also displayed metal chelating capacity at a concentration of 5 mg/ mL: 58.5 +/- 1.4% and 50.9 +/- 4.0% for copper and iron, respectively. The chemical characterization of the UM revealed significant levels of total phenolics (TPC, 13.61 mg GAE/g) and carotenoids (2.45 mg/g of beta-carotene, lutein and violaxanthin). Overall, the separation of the UM containing high value metabolites might significantly upgrade the total wet biomass value in a biorefinery, allowing the exploitation of a stream with relevant antioxidant and metal chelating activities.engTetraselmis chuiiUnsaponifiable matterAntioxidantsMetal chelatorsPhenolicsjournal article10.1515/chem-2016-0029