Algae as nutritional and functional food sources: revisiting our understanding

Abstract

Global demand for macroalgal and microalgal foods is growing, and algae are increasingly being consumed for functional benefits beyond the traditional considerations of nutrition and health. There is substantial evidence for the health benefits of algal-derived food products, but there remain considerable challenges in quantifying these benefits, as well as possible adverse effects. First, there is a limited understanding of nutritional composition across algal species, geographical regions, and seasons, all of which can substantially affect their dietary value. The second issue is quantifying which fractions of algal foods are bioavailable to humans, and which factors influence how food constituents are released, ranging from food preparation through genetic differentiation in the gut microbiome. Third is understanding how algal nutritional and functional constituents interact in human metabolism. Superimposed considerations are the effects of harvesting, storage, and food processing techniques that can dramatically influence the potential nutritive value of algal-derived foods. We highlight this rapidly advancing area of algal science with a particular focus on the key research required to assess better the health benefits of an alga or algal product. There are rich opportunities for phycologists in this emerging field, requiring exciting new experimental and collaborative approaches.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10811-016-0974-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME) and toxicity profile of marine sulfated polysaccharides used in bionanotechnology

“…Fucoidan or sulfated fucose containing homo-or heteropolysaccharide has been obtained from cell wall matrix and intercellular spaces of various edible species of brown seaweeds or macroalgae in the class of Phaeophyceae, such as Cladosiphono kamuranus, Saccharina japonica (as Laminaria japonica), and Undaria pinnatifida and also marine invertebrates like sea cucumber and sea urchin (Atashrazm et al, 2015;Wells et al, 2017). They are distributed among algae of several orders such as Fucales and Laminariales but also in Chordariales, Dictyotales, Dictyosiphonales, Ectocarpales, and Scytosiphonales.…”

“…(Silva et al, 2013;Popa et al, 2014;Posocco et al, 2015;Manivasagan et al, 2017;Majee et al, 2017a;Wells et al, 2017). Green algae have also attracted attention globally due to their pivotal role in marine and terrestrial ecosystem (Collen et al, 2011).…”

Marine Algae as a Source of Prevention and Relief in Those With Depression and Dementia

“…Marine algae has been tested to have high amounts of folate, vitamin B 12 , vitamin B 6 , and PUFAs. [32] The under-exploited marine plant has antioxidant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties (see Table 1). Dried green and purple laver have been the most popular selections of edible seaweed and also contain high amounts of vitamin B 12 .…”

“…[42] www.wjpps.com Although marine animals such as fish are the most common sources of omega-3, the omega-3 in their bodies are obtained by consuming marine vegetation. [32,43] A cross-sectional study was conducted in Japan on 1,745 pregnant women. The women were given questionnaires to survey their lifestyle and diet habits, depressive symptoms, and family history.…”

Spirulina: An Emerging Treatment Modality for the Management of Oral Submucous Fibrosis

“…3,4 It is designated as being generally recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Association. 5 It is an inhabitant of the sea and the fresh waters of African, American, Asian, and European countries. 6 Spirulina has also been mentioned in the history where in Mexico, the Aztecs harvested Spirulina from the Texcoco Lake and Spanish soldiers used it as a regular component of their food and cakes.…”