Assessment of Arabian Gulf Seaweeds from Kuwait as Sources of Nutritionally Important Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

Abstract

The fatty acid (FA) compositions of ten seaweeds representative of Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta, and Ochrophyta from Kuwait in the Arabian Gulf region were determined and are discussed in the context of their potential nutritional perspectives for seaweed valorization. All the seaweeds had higher saturated fatty acid (SFA) and lower monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) contents than those typical of tropical environments. Palmitic, myristic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, α-linolenic, and stearidonic acids were the major FAs detected. Arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic, and docosahexaenoic acids were detected in minor amounts. Conserved fatty acid patterns revealed phylogenetic relationships among phyla, classes, and orders matching the molecular phylogenies at higher taxonomic ranks. Hierarchical clustering analyses clearly segregated different seaweeds (except Codium papillatum and Iyengaria stellata) into distinct groups based on their FA signatures. All but one species (Chondria sp.) had health-beneficial n6/n3 PUFAs (0.33:1–2.94:1) and atherogenic (0.80–2.52) and thrombogenic indices (0.61–5.17). However, low PUFA/SFA contents in most of the species (except Ulva spp.) may limit their utilization in the formulation of PUFA-rich functional foods. Ulva spp. had substantially high PUFAs with PUFA/SFA >0.4, n6/n3 (0.33–0.66) and atherogenic (0.80–1.15) and thrombogenic indices (0.49–0.72), providing substantial potential for their utilization in food and feed applications.

Seasonal Changes in the Biochemical Composition of Dominant Macroalgal Species along the Egyptian Red Sea Shore

“…Kumar et al [ 59 ] observed significant individual differences in the biochemical composition of all investigated marine macroalgae. Ajayan et al [ 60 ] studied the fatty acid contents, metals and other elemental compositions of 25 macroalgal species and proved that the lipids, proteins and carbohydrate levels varied significantly among the species studied. For instance, Samanta et al [ 61 ] illustrated that the chemical composition of Agarophyton vermiculophyllum was changed by variable climatic conditions, such as temperature, pH and nutrient availability.…”

“…It was also described that the PUFAs content of Caulerpa is greater than those in coconut and palm oils [ 80 ]. In addition, Ajayan et al [ 60 ] stated that linolenic acid and oleic acid comprised the majority of the total fatty acids of macroalgae.…”

An Overview of Potential Seaweed-Derived Bioactive Compounds for Pharmaceutical Applications

“…Moreover, biochemical analyses performed on Arabian Gulf Sea identify Ulva spp. as the most suitable candidates for developing low-fat food PUFA-rich nutraceuticals [53].…”

Seaweeds in Food: Current Trends

“…(36–79%) [ 29 ]. Other authors obtained the fatty acid profile for Sargassum miyabei [ 30 ] as well as the fatty acid profile of seaweed from the Arabian Gulf region [ 31 ].…”