Brown Macroalgae as Valuable Food Ingredients

Abstract

Due to the balanced nutritional value and abundance of bioactive compounds, seaweeds represent great candidates to be used as health-promoting ingredients by the food industry. In this field, Phaeophyta, i.e., brown macroalgae, have been receiving great attention particularly due to their abundance in complex polysaccharides, phlorotannins, fucoxanthin and iodine. In the past decade, brown algae and their extracts have been extensively studied, aiming at the development of well-accepted products with the simultaneous enhancement of nutritional value and/or shelf-life. However, the reports aiming at their bioactivity in in vivo models are still scarce and need additional exploration. Therefore, this manuscript revises the relevant literature data regarding the development of Phaeophyta-enriched food products, namely those focused on species considered as safe for human consumption in Europe. Hopefully, this will create awareness to the need of further studies in order to determine how those benefits can translate to human beings.

Brown Seaweeds for the Management of Metabolic Syndrome and Associated Diseases

“…The Laminariales order comprises 31 species—for example, Alaria angusta, Costaria costata, Laminaria japonica, Laminaria cichorioides, Laminaria latissima , and Undaria pinnatifida , amongst others. This order represents the most used and widely exploited worldwide for alginate extraction [ 36 ]. Other brown seaweed orders of minor relevance are those belonging to the Ectocarpales order, including, for example, Adenocystis utricularis, Cladosiphon okamuranus, Leathesia difformis, Nemacystus decipiens, Punctaria plantaginea, and those of the Dictyotales order, including Padina gymnospora and Spatoglossum schroederi [ 31 ].…”

“…Just for comparison, other food products—e.g., olives, cheddar cheese, and sausages—have Na/K ratios of 43.6, 8.7, and 4.9, respectively [ 84 , 88 , 89 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the consumption of foods with Na/K ratios as close as possible to 1 or even lower to get a beneficial effect on blood pressure and cardiovascular health [ 36 ].…”

“…The majority of them accumulate in algal physodes and might represent up to 25% of the algal dry weight [ 91 ]. They derive from the polymerization of several phloroglucinol units (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene); are characterized by a high number of hydroxy-groups; are responsible for their high solubility in water; and can be divided into four categories, depending on the linkage between the phloroglucinol units—i.e., fuhalols and phlorethols, fucols, fucophlorethols, and eckols and carmalols [ 36 ].…”

“…Their amount ranges from 4% to 76% of the total algal dry mass [ 92 ], depending on the species and other factors—e.g., the environmental conditions and season. For example, a polysaccharide content of 37.5%, 65.7%, 69.6%, 35.2%, and 67.8% of dry mass has been reported for L. japonica, F. vesiculosus, A. nodosum, U. pinnatifida , and S. vulgare , respectively [ 36 ].…”

Antioxidants Properties of Natural Products: A Themed Issue in Honor of Professor Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira

“…Within the reviews performed, Rusu et al [1] revised the clinical trials and cohort studies published in the last decade on the influence of antioxidant diets on nuts and peanuts in preventing or delaying age-related illnesses in middle-aged and elderly individuals. Meanwhile, Afonso et al [2] reviewed the use of brown macroalgae, considered as safe for consumption in Europe, as a valuable ingredient namely for the development pf phaeophyta-enriched food products. Gomez-Zavaglia et al [3] reviewed the up to date literature on the chemical composition and bioactive effects of seaweeds, and reported a critical discussion about their potential as natural sources of new functional ingredients.…”