Differentiation of the Organoleptic Volatile Organic Compound Profile of Three Edible Seaweeds

Abstract

The inclusion of seaweeds in daily-consumption food is a worthy-of-attention challenge due to their high nutritional value and potential health benefits. In this way, their composition, organoleptic profile, and toxicity must be assessed. This work focuses on studying the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by three edible seaweeds, Grateloupia turuturu, Codium tomentosum, and Bifurcaria bifurcata, with the aim of deepening the knowledge regarding their organoleptic profiles. Nine samples of each seaweed were prepared in glass vials, and the emitted headspace was analyzed, for the first time, with a gas chromatography—ion mobility spectrometry device, a highly sensitive technology. By statistically processing the collected data through PCA, it was possible to accurately differentiate the characteristic patterns of the three seaweeds with a total explained variance of 98%. If the data were pre-processed through PLS Regression, the total explained variance increased to 99.36%. The identification of 13 VOCs was accomplished through a developed database of compounds. These outstanding values in addition to the identification of the main emissions of VOCs and the utilization of a never-before-used technology prove the capacity of GC-IMS to differentiate edible seaweeds based solely on their volatile emissions, increase the knowledge regarding their organoleptic profiles, and provide an important step forward in the inclusion of these highly nutritional ingredients in the human diet.

Seaweed and Seaweed-Based Functional Metabolites as Potential Modulators of Growth, Immune and Antioxidant Responses, and Gut Microbiota in Fish

“…In addition, the inclusion of seaweed can improve the overall physical structure of an aquafeed, including integrity, texture, and water stability, all of which are factors that may contribute to increased feed intake [110]. Furthermore, the volatile organic compounds emitted by seaweed [111] can contribute to the aroma and flavor of the feed, making it more attractive and palatable to fish. This could potentially lead to increased feed intake and improved growth rates.…”