The study sought to determine the antioxidant capacity of two types of green algae: Nannochloropsis, a single-celled microalga, and Chlorella, a colonial green alga by examining their crude extracts made with different solvents. The morphological characterization of Nannochloropsis, which has a single-celled ovoid or spherical form, and Chlorella, which is characterized by flat, star-shaped collections of cells, revealed their distinguishing characteristics. Following the preparation of crude extracts with solvents like methanol, ethanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and water, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessed.
The significant antioxidant activity shown by the ethyl acetate fractions of Nannochloropsis and Chlorella suggests that ethyl acetate is a useful solvent for extracting antioxidant chemicals. Methanol fractions also showed increased antioxidant activity for Nannochloropsis than for Chlorella, indicating that methanol is a useful solvent for obtaining antioxidants from Nanochloropsis algae. These results highlight how distinct solvent fractions of Nannochloropsis and Chlorella algae exhibit varied degrees of antioxidant activity, highlighting the significance of solvent selection in the extraction of antioxidant chemicals. Overall, the findings point to chlorella's potential as a natural antioxidant source with a range of uses in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. This calls for more research into the specific antioxidant compounds found in chlorella fractions and their possible health benefits.