## 1 Introduction  
Microalgae are attractive bioresources for several sectors, namely, food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and biofuels [1, 2]. Nevertheless, microalgae production faces diverse challenges that influence the economic feasibility of the process, including the need for sustainable production, isolation of new strains, and nutrient sourcing [3]. Current commercial species of microalgae are but the \"tip of the iceberg\" of microalgae's immense biodiversity, some displaying biochemical profiles suitable for developing innovative health, cosmetic, feed and food products [4, 5, 6]. The world population is set to reach 10 billion around 2050 (UN, 2019). This perspective suggests that the current capacity to generate food might not be enough to feed the whole human population. In addition, consumption preference trends suggest that sustainable food products might be increasingly demanded by consumers [7]. Meat analogues, particularly those made of microalgal biomass, present themselves as a solution for protein scarcity. In the confection of such analogues, microalgal biomass can be used as a more sustainable and healthier protein source as compared to meat because microalgae are at the bottom of the food webs, decreasing the amount of energy losses, as it avoids the penalties of metabolite conversion upon consumption by an animal feeding on photosynthetic organisms [8]. Moreover, algae, unlike soy and other vegetables rich in protein, can be produced all year round and do not depend on arable land [9]. As they are able to grow in wastewater, microalgae not only can bioremediate these effluents but also they can produce biomass without further addition of fertilizers [10]. Besides a high protein content, microalgae contain other health-linked compounds such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, lipids and pigments [11], which, together with its environmental sustainability, might provide better acceptance by consumers aiding its introduction in the food markets [8]. The market value of microalgae in Europe up to 2020 was around EUR 31,641 k and is expected to increase further in the coming years [12]. Bioprospecting novel microalgal strains combined with their application to a bioreinery concept can be a powerful tool in biotechnology, as the development of multiple co-products from a single microalgal strain allows the improvement of the overall process [3,13]. The genus _Dunaliella_ (Chlorophyta, Chlorophyceae, Chlamydomonasdomonadales, Dunalielaceae), established by [PERSON] (1905), is known for its high adaptability to harsh environments and halotolerance. Indeed, _Dunaliella_ spp. can grow at high salinity levels, withstanding challenging thermal and nutritional conditions combined with high light stress, often lethal to other microalgal species. Interestingly, the pleiotropic effect of salt stress on the microalgal cell has been used as an efficient approach to induce proteins and lipids accumulation in various target species. Because of this robustness, the industrial cultivation of _Dunaliella_ microalgae is relatively easy compared to other species that cannot grow under extreme environments [14]. These features are important since cultivation conditions significantly impact the economic aspect of the whole industrial cultivation process. Firstly, they promote important changes in the biochemistry and physiology of microalgae, leading to changes in the quantity and quality of the produced biocompounds [15]. This might be due to the fact that salinity is associated with three types of stress: ionic, osmotic, and oxidative stress [16,17]. Secondly, high salinity can also be used to limit culture contamination, which is essential for microalgae cultivation at an industrial scale [14,18,19,20,21,22,23]. Therefore, finding microalgal species resistant to these environmental conditions is essential for large-scale production, with salt stress being an auxiliary tool for culture management in open-air systems. In the present study, the isolation and identification of _Dunaliella_ sp.