Trace element concentrations in seaweeds of the Arabian Gulf identified by morphology and DNA barcodes

Abstract

Even though seaweeds have been considered a nutrient-rich dietary source of minerals in other parts of the world, there is little knowledge about trace element accumulation in seaweeds of the Arabian Gulf. The Arabian Gulf is of particular interest due to being an extreme environment, as it features some of the highest temperatures and salinities observed in any marine waters in the world. This study determined the minerals contents using inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 10 of the most common seaweeds of this region (Iyengaria stellata, Padina boergesenii, Chondria sp., Feldmannia indica, Codium papillatum, Sargassum aquifolium, Ulva chaugulii, Ulva tepida and Ulva sp.) supported by morphological and molecular (DNA barcode)-based identification. The finding of U. chaugulii reported here is a new record both for Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf. Most of the seaweeds were rich in essential minerals including Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe and Zn and their contents were higher than those of other mineral-rich foods. Principal component analysis revealed species-specific distributions of minerals in seaweeds. U. tepida and I. stellata were found to be exceptionally rich in most of the macro- and trace elements along with low As and Se, and thus can be utilized for food and feed applications.

Assessment of Arabian Gulf Seaweeds from Kuwait as Sources of Nutritionally Important Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

“…Nevertheless, Ulva spp. are not only rich in essential PUFAs, but also contain high amounts of macroand micronutrients as reported previously [71]. In addition, the nutritional value of Ulva species in terms of carbohydrates, protein, and fatty acids (especially PUFA content) has been reported to be comparable to some vegetables, nuts, and grains [2,23,72] and it has been consumed traditionally for centuries in many Asian countries [1,2,4,25,72].…”

Revision of the family Sargassaceae (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) from Kuwait (Arabian / Persian Gulf, NW Indian Ocean) based on analysis of morphology and ITS2 sequences

“…However, in Kuwait only eight publications mention members of the Sargassaceae: along members of the genera Hormophysa, Polycladia, and Sirophysalis, ten species of Sargassum have been reported (Jones, 1986;Al-Hasan, Jones, 1989;John, Al-Thani, 2014;Al-Yamani et al, 2014;Alghunaim et al, 2019aAlghunaim et al, , b, 2020. Most recently, two papers have explored concentrations of iodine and fluorine (Al-Adilah et al, 2020) and other trace elements (Al-Adilah et al, 2021) in Sargassum species from Kuwait. These papers were the first to report any nucleotide sequence data for Sargassum species from the Gulf.…”

Seasonal changes in the fatty acid profile of Cystoseira crinita Duby, 1830, distributed on the Sinop Peninsula Coast of the Black Sea

“…Macroalgae, particularly brown, are a part of the main diet of many countries (Dawczynski, Schubert, & Jahreis, 2007;Miyashita et al, 2012;Muradian, Vaiserman, Min, & Fraifeld, 2015), and different ratios of polysaccharides, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and lipids that contain (Schmid et al, 2018;Nunes, Valente, Ferraz, Barreto, & Carvalho, 2020;Al-Adilah et al, 2021). In addition, it has been suggested that brown seaweeds have great amounts of PUFA, which are not present in land plants (Kumari, Bijo, Mantri, Reddy, & Jha, 2013;Polat & Ozogul, 2013;Schmid et al, 2018;Al-Adilah et al, 2021). Seaweeds have contained a significant amount of essential fatty acids, despite the low lipid concentration (Rocha et al, 2021), they can be used as an alternative to a marine lipid resource due to browns seaweeds abundance among coastal algae (Airanthi et al, 2011).…”