Functional and Biochemical Properties of some Economically Important Edible Seaweeds

We evaluated the functional properties and nutritional composition of six dried commercially valuable edible seaweeds Porphyra sp., Undaria pinnatifida, Saccharina sp., Hizikia fusiformis, Gracilaria sp., and Sargassum sp. in the current study. The proximate composition of the dried seaweeds revealed that Porphyra sp. had a high total crude protein content (38.58 ± 0.16 %) followed by Undaria sp. (23.03 ± 0.30%), Saccharina sp. (11.39 ± 0.09%), H. fusiformis (18.77 ± 0.01%), Gracilaria sp. (18.30 ± 0.13%), and Sargassum sp. (13.56 ± 0.04%). Fatty acid profiling showed high MUFA content in Sargassum sp. (1.09 %); this seaweed also contained 0.84% saturated fatty acid and 0.48% PUFA. On the other hand, U. pinnatifida was rich in macro elements (297.57 ± 11.09 mg/100g) and Gracilaria sp. had high micromineral content (6397.35 ± 89.42 µg/100g). Functional properties of the powdered seaweed were also evaluated. The water–holding capacity of Porphyra sp. (8.82 ± 0.40 g water/g algal sample) was better than H. fusiformis (6.22 ± 0.30 g water/g algal sample). Oil holding capacity of Gracilaria sp. (3.23 ± 0.08 g oil/g algal samples) was higher than U. pinnatifida (1.92 ± 0.22 g oil/g algal sample). Further, H. fusiformis had a good foaming capacity (38.0 ± 2.0 %). Based on the results obtained herein, it could be summarized that the seaweeds studied were nutritionally rich (containing minerals that are vital for human health), and could be used as a functional food and in various food formulations.