The overarching goal of microalgal biotechnology is to
improve the productivity of these organisms in order to
meet the demands of a rapidly growing market [5
].
Although much of the industry’s previous work has
focused on cultivation techniques and species selection,
novel microalgal applications are currently being brought
to fruition with the help of genetic engineering. The aim
of this review is to describe the ability of microalgae to
synthesize useful products, examine methods of increasing yield through altered metabolism, and provide an
outlook for the future of microalgal metabolic engineering.