Production, Phytochemical Characterization and Acceptability of Wines from Green Seaweeds (Halimeda macroloba, Caulerpa sertularioides and Caulerpa racemosa)

Abstract

Seaweeds are tagged as the medical food of the 21st century due to its being rich in bioactive substances, minerals and vitamins. Seaweeds could be processed as wine and could be used as a medicine or a delicacy. The bioactive substances inherent to the seaweed and responsible for its various medicinal properties could be made available during the fermentation process. In this study, wines were produced from three (3) green seaweed species, namely: Halimeda macroloba, Caulerpa sertularioides and Caulerpa racemosa using three (3) kinds of sugar, characterized by its phytochemical profile, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and total antioxidant activity (TAA), and subjected to sensory evaluation for acceptability. Results show that wines produced from green seaweeds are rich in flavonoids, terpenoids, coumarin and betacyanin. TPC of wines ranged from 54 -467 mg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/L. TFC ranged from 7 -356 mg Cathechin Equivalent (CE)/L. TAA ranged from 97 -558 mg Ascorbic Acid Equivalent (AAE)/L. In general, wines fermented using muscovado sugar have the highest TPC, TFC and TAA values. The general acceptability of seaweeds wines using a 5-point rating scale ranged from "liked moderately" to "liked very much".