Caulerpa lentillifera as a potential nutraceutical resource

Indonesia, as a part of the coral triangle, is well known for abundant seaweed resources. In general, seaweed contains antioxidant substances with a great potential to be used in the food, cosmetic, and health industry. One species of seaweed that have high economic and nutritional value is Caulerpa sp. Local people in Takalar, South Sulawesi, use Caulerpa lentillifera as a food source. As nutraceutical resources, bioactivities of C. lentillifera from this specific region only have several reports. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the bioactivities of extracts of C. lentillifera from Takalar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. C. lentillifera was extracted using ethanol and water. Both extracts were examined for their antioxidant and cytotoxicity activity. Antioxidant activity was carried out using the ABTS method. Meanwhile, cytotoxicity activity was carried out using the BSLT (Brine Shrimp Lethality Test) assay. The yield of extracts water and ethanol were 0,258 and 0,368 % respectively, IC50 values from antioxidant activities of ABTS assay showed 820 and 146,69 ppm respectively and cytotoxicity assay showed 2612,91 and 753,56 ppm respectively. Both extracts were analyzed using GCMS, results demonstrated that water extract contains diterpene, phytol, and fatty acids meanwhile ethanol extracts contain alkenes and fatty acids. From this research, we can conclude that C. lentillifera had potential antioxidant activities and was rich in fatty acid content. In further development, C. lentillifera can be utilized as a promising nutraceutical resource.