Seasonal variations in the biochemical composition of some common seaweed species from the coast of Abu Qir Bay, Alexandria, Egypt

Abstract

Variations in protein, carbohydrate, lipid, ash, moisture, fatty acid and aminoacid contents of the seaweeds <i>Ulva lactuca</i> Linnaeus (Chlorophyta),<i>Jania rubens</i> (Linnaeus) J.V. Lamouroux and <i>Pterocladia capillacea</i> (S.G. Gmelin) Bornet(Rhodophyta) were studied seasonally from spring to autumn 2010. The seaweeds were collected from a rocky site near Boughaz El-Maadya on the coast of Abu Qir Bay east of Alexandria, Egypt. Remarkable seasonal variations were recorded in the levels of the studied parameters in the three species. <i>Pterocladia capillacea</i> was characterized by the highest protein andcarbohydrate content throughout the different seasons, whereas <i>Ulva lactuca</i> contained more lipids (4.09 ± 0.2%) than <i>J. rubens</i> and <i>P. capillacea</i>. The highest total fatty acids were recorded in <i>J. rubens</i> during the three seasons, while saturated fatty acids were predominant in <i>P. capillacea</i> during spring. This is due mainly to the presence of palmitic acid(C16:0), which made up 74.3% of the saturated fatty acids. The highest level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in these algae was measured in <i>J. rubens</i>; DHA (22:6ω₃) was the main acid, making up 26.4% of the total fatty acids especiallyduring summer. Proline was the major component of the amino acids in the three algal species, with maximum amounts in <i>U. lactuca</i>

Differentiation between some Ulva spp. by morphological, genetic and biochemical analyses

“…Our results are consistent with the observations reported by Wong and Cheung (2001) who stated that the ash content of U. lactuca range between 21.3-24.6 % DW and 25.4 % DW for U. fasciata (McDermid, Stuercke, 2003). Khairy, El-Shafay (2013) recorded that the ash content of U. lactuca which range between 17.6-23.4 % DW in spring which the same season of collected samples.…”

“…(46.670 % DW), while the lowest carbohydrate content was recorded in U. linzea (33.221 % DW). These results were in conformity with Khairy and El-Shafay (2013) who recorded that the carbohydrate content of U. lactuca ranged from 42.1 to 46.5 % DW and Moustafa and Saeed (2014) highest concentration of lipid was recorded in U. fasciata and the lowest concentration was observed in U. compressa. These results were in consistence with those of Dawes (1998) who stated that seaweeds exhibit low lipid contents.…”

Screening of proteins based on macro-algae from West Java coast in Indonesian marine as a potential anti-aging agent

“…Among the species under study, it was found that algae with good value of protein content were dominated by phylum Rhodophyta and Chlorophyta, while species from phylum Phaeophyta mostly possessed a lower amount of protein. This finding was aligned with several studies that have been demonstrated that seaweed belongs to the Rhodophyta possess the highest value of protein compare to Chlorophyta and Phaeophyta, but the level of protein content showed the significant seasonal period difference and geographic area [37,38]. Since phycobiliproteins are mostly found in red algae with four different substance, this suggests that total protein content measured surely higher than other algae from diverse phylum.…”

Characterization of protein, lipid and mineral contents in common Norwegian seaweeds and evaluation of their potential as food and feed

“…There were two inclusion criteria for the algae in this study: one was that species should represent all of the three main classes of macroalgae (red, green and brown); the other was that they should be easily accessible. The biochemical variation between species is considered to be due partly to phylogenetic differences and partly to seasonal and geographical conditions, such as water temperature and light amount and intensity . In order to minimize the latter, it was decided to harvest all samples at the same time of year and from the narrowest geographical area possible.…”