###### Abstract  
The market for new functional foods and food supplements is rapidly evolving, with a current emphasis on using natural sources. Algae, probiotics, and colostrum are rich sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds with positive effects on human and animal health. To determine the potential for developing new functional foods combining these components, we evaluated their synergistic effects. We assessed the growth of selected bifidobacteria in a medium supplemented with _Chlorella vulgaris_ and its immunomodulatory and cytotoxic effects on the human peripheral mononuclear cells and colon cancer cell lines Caco-2 and HT29. The hypocholesterolem effects of _Chlorella_ powder and bovine colostrum fermented by _Bifidobacterium animals_ subsp. _lactis_ BB12\({}^{\text{\textregistered}}\) on lipid metabolism in rats fed a high-fat diet were also determined. _Chlorella_ addition promoted _Bifidobacteria_ growth, with significantly increased inflammatory cytokine (TNF-\(\alpha\) and IL-6) levels following 1.0% (\(w/v\)) _Chlorella_ stimulation. Rats fed diets containing fermented colostrum with 0.5% (\(w/v\)) added _Chlorella_ powder exhibited significantly decreased triglyceride, very low-density lipoprotein, and alanine and aspartate aminotransferase levels, compared to those of the control group. These results support that _C. vulgaris_ is not cytotoxic in intestinal cell models and affords prebiotic and immunomodulatory effects, as well as synergistic triglyceride-lowering effects with bovine colostrum and _B. animalis_ subsp. _lactis_ BB-12. microalgae; _Chlorella vulgaris; Bifidobacterium; colostrum; functional food; probiotics_ Article  
Functional Properties of _Chlorella vulgaris_, Colostrum,  
and _Bifidobacteria_, and Their Potential for Application in Functional Foods  
[PERSON]  
1 Department of Microbiology and Technology, Dairy Research Institute Ltd., 160 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.K.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (G.S.) 24 Department of Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, U. Nemecnocz 2, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
3 Department of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology, 160 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
4 Centre for Experimental Medicine, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 140 21 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.M.); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (M.H.) 5 Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, 160 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
6 Department of Daily, Fat and Cosmetics, University of Chemistry and Technology, 160 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
7 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Nutrition and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
824 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Microbiology, Faculty of Microbiology, Food and Natural Resources, Nutrition and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
924 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Microbiology, Faculty of Microbiology, Faculty of Microbiology, Food and Natural Resources, Nutrition and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; [EMAIL_ADDRESS]  
924 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Faculty of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological, Food and Natural Resources, Nutrition and Dietetics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, 165(e.g., \(\beta\)-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin), pigments, proteins with well-balanced amino acid profiles, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins (e.g., A, B12, E, and K). Moreover, it is among the few microalgae designated as having Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status by the US Food and Drug Administration and is approved by the European Food Safety Authority [9].