Authors
Hesti Lina Wiraswati ^a,b,* , Nur Akmalia Hidayati ^c , Ilma Fauziah Ma’ruf ^d, Julia Ramadhanti ^a,b, Enny Rohmawaty ^a,b, Vira Putri Yarlina ^e, Ardimas Andi Purwita ^f, Kengo Suzuki ^g,h, Keiichi Mochida ⁱ

Affiliations

^a Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia ^b Oncology and Stem Cell Working Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia ^c Research Center for Applied Microbiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bogor, Indonesia ^d Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia ^e Department of Food Industrial Technology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia. ^f Department of Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia ^g Euglena Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan ^h RIKEN Baton Zone Program, Yokohama, Japan ⁱ RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Yokohama, Japan

Background

• Tempeh is a traditional fermented soybean food with nutritional and functional value.

• Microalgae have diverse anticancer activities and may enhance tempeh through fortification.

Methods

• Extracts of tempeh and algae-fortified tempeh were tested on BT-474 luminal B breast cancer cells.

• Phytochemical analysis, cell viability, gene expression, and flow cytometry were used.

Key Results

• Extracts contained flavonoids, alkaloids, and high phenolic content.

• Algae-fortified tempeh reduced cell viability by up to 60%, more than conventional tempeh.

• All extracts suppressed EGFR, induced S-phase arrest, and modulated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Key Results

•Extracts contained flavonoids, alkaloids, and high phenolic content.

•Algae-fortified tempeh reduced cell viability by up to 60%, more than conventional tempeh.

•All extracts suppressed EGFR, induced S-phase arrest, and modulated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Discussion & Conclusion

• Algae fortification is a food-biotechnology strategy for pathway-targeted cancer prevention.

• These are laboratory findings in cancer cells; they support complementary health applications.

Related SDGs

SDG 2: Zero Hunger – Innovation in nutritious functional foods

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being – Exploring food-based approaches to cancer prevention

Journal Information

Journal: Journal of Functional Foods

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2026.107158