Primary Composition and Pigments of 11 Red Seaweed Species from the Center of Portugal

Abstract

Macroalgae have been regarded as a natural food source since ancient times, their nutritional value being not only proven by recent studies, but also triggering further in-depth research efforts on the matter. The present study aims to provide an insight into the nutritional potential of selected red seaweed species collected in central Portugal by specifically comparing the moist yield and ash content, crude protein, total lipids, carbohydrates and pigment content between species and, ultimately, finding out if there are differences between taxa. The results obtained highlighted the most nutritionally appealing species, namely, Plocamium cartilagineum with respect to protein content (23.18% dw) and Sphaerocococcus coronopifolius with respect to carbohydrate content (40.23% dw), while none of the species studied showed a lipid content higher than 1.80% dw. Regarding pigment content, the highest concentrations of phycoerythrin, carotenoid and chlorophyll a were obtained, respectively, from P. cartilagineum (0.09 mg.mL−1), Porphyra umbilicalis (1.88 µg.g−1 fw) and Jania rubens (38.41 µg.mL−1). We concluded that there are significant differences between the species studied regarding their nutritional profile, with a marked difference between Corallinales and all other species not belonging to this order; regarding pigment content, this variation between orders was not observed. Nevertheless, all the studied species may act as promising complements in a human healthy diet.

Potential of Red, Green and Brown Seaweeds as Substrates for Solid State Fermentation to Increase Their Nutritional Value and to Produce Enzymes

“…In the literature, values from 4.71% [ 44 ] to 53.54% [ 45 ] are reported for the Gracilaria species. In general, the carbohydrate content obtained in this study was lower than those reported in other studies [ 46 , 47 , 48 ]. In this work, the seaweeds were characterized and directly used in the SSF without a previous washing stage.…”

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

“…Balboa et al [ 51 ] indicated that protein content exhibited a negative relationship with temperature and salinity. Overall, the macroalgal protein is considered an excellent source of EAAs and represents almost half of the total AAs they produce [ 73 ].…”

Identification of reproductive sex‐biased gene expression in Asparagopsis taxiformis (lineage 6) gametophytes

“…Similar to our findings, WD40 proteins have been associated with ethylene and methyl jasmonate signaling in Grateloupia imbricata , suggesting that higher gene expression is also connected to different signals related to both the disclosure and development period of cystocarps (Garcia‐Jimenez et al., 2017; Garcia‐Jimenez, Llorens, et al., 2018; Garcia‐Jimenez, Montero‐Fernández, & Robaina, 2018). Also, we identified a female‐biased gene that annotated to R‐phycoerythrin, which is a well‐known red fluorescent pigment photosynthesis‐related protein involved in the light‐harvesting (Freitas et al., 2022). This result supports our prior identification of photosynthesis‐related proteins, including R‐phycoerythrin in Asparagopsis taxiformis female gametophytes, suggesting that added energy requirements are necessary for females during reproductive events (Patwary et al., 2023).…”