valorization-red-seaweed-gracilaria-gracilis-through-biorefinery

Valorization of the Red Seaweed <em>Gracilaria gracilis</em> Through a Biorefinery Approach

The interest in seaweeds as an abundant feedstock to obtain valuable and multitarget bioactive ingredients is continuously growing. In this work, we ...

Polytechnic of Leiria

University of Coimbra

Polytechnic University of Leiria

Seaweeds exhibit high nutritional value due to a balanced concentration of proteins, vitamins and minerals, a high concentration of low digestibility polysaccharides, and reduced levels of lipids, many of which are n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. The species  is no exception and, as such, a comprehensive study of the chemical and nutritional profile of this red seaweed was carried out for 1 year. Seasonal variations in moisture, ash, protein and amino acids content, crude fibers, ascorbic acid, agar, lipids, and the corresponding fatty acid profile, were analyzed. We found low levels of fatty acids and a high protein content, but also noticed interesting seasonal change patterns in these compounds. The present study gives insights on the environmental conditions that can lead to changes in the nutritional composition of this species, aiming, therefore, to bring new conclusions about the manipulation of environmental conditions that allow for maximizing the nutritional value of this seaweed.

Seasonal Changes in the Nutritional Composition of  (Rhodophyta, Gracilariales) from the Center of Portugal.

 is a well-known agarophyte, harvested worldwide for its high agar quality. However, the species also exhibits an interesting nutritional profile, but with seasonal variations. Therefore, to evaluate the nutritional value of , ash, crude protein, total lipids, and carbohydrates were analyzed at different times of the year. The heavy metals mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and tin, as well as iodine were also measured. Finally, the seasonal antioxidant capacity of  extracts was evaluated. Our results indicate that the biomass is rich in protein (up to 16.25 ± 0.33%) and carbohydrates (up to 39.5 ± 3.29%), and low in lipids (up to 2.75 ± 0.28%), and especially in the summer, the AI, TI indexes, n-6/n-3 and h/H ratios (0.93, 0.6, 0.88 and 1.08, respectively) are very interesting. None of the contaminants exceeded the legally established limits, and the iodine values were adequate for a healthy diet. Finally, the antioxidant capacity is fair, with the DPPH ≤ 10.89 ± 1.46%, and ABTS ≤ 13.90 ± 1.54% inhibition, FRAP ≤ 0.91 ± 0.22 AAE.g, and TPC ≤ 6.82 ± 0.26 GAE.g. The results show that  is an attractive resource, with potential use as food or as a food supplement.

Article	Year
Seasonal Changes in the Nutritional Composition of (Rhodophyta, Gracilariales) from the Center of Portugal. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 34065392	2021
Seasonal Nutritional Profile of (Rhodophyta, Gelidiaceae) from the Center of Portugal. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 34681442	2021

Marta V Freitas

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