Advances in Extraction Methods to Recover Added-Value Compounds from Seaweeds: Sustainability and Functionality

Abstract

Seaweeds are a renewable natural source of valuable macro and micronutrients that have attracted the attention of the scientists in the last years. Their medicinal properties were already recognized in the ancient traditional Chinese medicine, but only recently there has been a considerable increase in the study of these organisms in attempts to demonstrate their health benefits. The extraction process and conditions to be used for the obtention of value-added compounds from seaweeds depends mainly on the desired final product. Thermochemical conversion of seaweeds, using high temperatures and solvents (including water), to obtain high-value products with more potential applications continues to be an industrial practice, frequently with adverse impact on the environment and products’ functionality. However more recently, alternative methods and approaches have been suggested, searching not only to improve the process performance, but also to be less harmful for the environment. A biorefinery approach display a valuable idea of solving economic and environmental drawbacks, enabling less residues production close to the much recommended zero waste system. The aim of this work is to report about the new developed methods of seaweeds extractions and the potential application of the components extracted.

Quality Assessment of Five Different Brands of Chyawanprash Marketed in Nepal

“…e physicochemical analyses showed the pH in the range of 5.12-5.34. A similar study by Wagh et al found a pH of 1% aqueous solution within the range of 3.77-4.85, which was more acidic than our study [8]. e limit given by the pharmacopoeia for pH (1% aqueous solution) is in the range of 3.82-4.23. ough the pH of all of the selected brands was close to each other, they did not comply with the specification, and all were out of the limit.…”

“…However, the safety and efficacy of herbal drugs depend upon the sources and the quality of raw materials such as storage and transportation, temperature, light exposure, drying, packing, age and parts of the plant collected, good manufacturing practices (GMP), contaminations such as microbial contamination, pesticide residues, intentional or unintentional adulteration with heavy metal, allopathic drugs such as steroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can directly affect the quality and the therapeutic value of herbal medicines [8,9]. Hence, the quality control of the ayurvedic formulation using modern analysis techniques is very important [10].…”

Comparative Analysis of the Chemical Composition and Physicochemical Properties of the Mucilage Extracted from Fresh and Dehydrated Opuntia ficus indica Cladodes

“…Moreover, in the present work cladodes at a late maturity stage, which are considered as waste and have no commercial value, were used. Therefore, this is a sustainable extraction method [36].…”

Antioxidant effects of seaweeds and their active compounds on animal health and production – a review

“…The primary metabolites, which are directly involved in processes such as growth, development, reproduction to perform physiological functions, can be divided into several classes: carbohydrates (fucoidan, alginate, laminarin in brown seaweeds, agar, carrageenan in red seaweeds, and ulvan in green seaweeds), lipids (fatty acids: saturated, mono-, di-, and polyunsaturated, waxes, acylglycerols: mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols, phospholipids, glycoglycerolipids, fat-soluble vitamins, e.g., A and E, sterols, and carotenoids), and proteins (combination of different amino acids). In addition to the primary metabolites, seaweeds can accumulate minerals (microelements, macroelements, and trace elements) that are also essential to their life (Makkar et al 2016 ; Salehi et al 2019 ; Matos et al 2021 ). Seaweeds can also synthesize a vast number of secondary metabolites, which largely determine their bioactive potential (Øverland et al 2019 ; Salehi et al 2019 ).…”

“…They are formed in the biomass as a response to exposure to biotic (e.g., fungi, bacteria, viruses, insects, etc.) and abiotic stress (e.g., UV radiation, drought, salinity, high temperature) (Metsämuuronen and Sirén 2019 ; Matos et al 2021 ). An important group of seaweeds’ secondary metabolites are phenolics, which involve simple phenols like phenolic acids and polyphenols, including flavonoids and non-flavonoids – e.g., tannins.…”