## 3 Actual Challenges of Marine-Based Compounds Incorporation into Food Products  
While marine-based bioactive compounds offer promising potential for various applications, their extraction and utilization present significant challenges. One of the primary challenges lies in the complexity of marine-based matrices, which often contain a diverse array of compounds with varying solubilities and stabilities [32]. This complexity has some consequences in the extraction process and may result in low yields or loss of bioactivity during extraction. An example is the hydroethanolic extraction of the red seaweed _Gratelopuiu turuturu_, which, when performed with shorter extraction times (20 min), at room temperature, and using a lower solvent volume (liquid-solid ratio of 10 mL-g\({}^{-1}\)), offers an industrially friendly approach, despite the trade-off of a lower extraction yield [33]. The presence of environmental contaminants like heavy metals or pollutants such as organochlorine pesticides, particularly in marine organisms like seaweeds, also represents a significant challenge to the extraction of pure compounds. This contamination makes it necessary to implement thorough purification methods to ensure both the safety and efficacy of the final product, allowing the obtention of food-safe compounds [34]. Recent studies have identified several major pesticide residues in seaweeds from the Gulf of Mannar, including hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor, aldrin, endwin, endosulfan, and DDT [34, 35]. These organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were found to bioaccumulate in various seaweed species, with concentrations often exceeding regulatory limits, such as those observed in _Sargassum wigthiti_ and _Geldiella acerosa_ (HCH, endwin, endosulfan, and DDT) and HCH and endosulfan in _Gracilaria verrucose_[35]. Furthermore, the scalability of extraction methods poses a significant challenge, particularly for large-scale industrial applications. Many existing extraction techniques, with promising results in terms of increasing the extraction efficiency, lower extraction times, improved extracts quality, including higher purity, and minimization of the generation of hazardous waste and its associated impact on the environment, may not be easily scalable or cost-effective when applied to bulk quantities of marine-based sources [32]. These include pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) [32]. Developing efficient and sustainable extraction methods that can be scaled up to meet industrial demand is therefore essential for the commercial viability of marine-based bioactive compounds. The use of these advanced techniques has already shown promise in smaller-scale studies [31, 32, 36], and their scalability, while requiring significant initial investment, can be achieved through industry-academic partnerships and the integration of biorefneries. Moreover, as consumer demand for sustainable and safe food products rises, the financial incentive for companies to adopt these technologies increases, making these solutions not only feasible but economically attractive in the long term. Adapting these scalable bioprocesses will require investment in research and pilot plants. However, partnerships with technological innovators and government funding initiatives--particularly those aligned with circular economy goals--can accelerate the transition to large-scale production. A good example of how governments can facilitate