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Functional and nutritional value of the Chilean seaweeds Codium fragile, Gracilaria chilensis and Macrocystis pyrifera
Author(s) -
Ortiz Jaime,
Uquiche Edgar,
Robert Paz,
Romero Nalda,
Quitral Vilma,
Llantén Catherine
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
european journal of lipid science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.614
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1438-9312
pISSN - 1438-7697
DOI - 10.1002/ejlt.200800140
Subject(s) - macrocystis pyrifera , algae , biology , food science , brown algae , carotenoid , botany , polyunsaturated fatty acid , fatty acid , oleic acid , biochemistry
Abstract The nutritional composition of the edible seaweeds Codium fragile , Gracilaria chilensis and Macrocystis pyrifera was determined, including amino acid and fatty acid contents along with tocol and carotenoid contents. The results indicated that the three algae C. fragile , G. chilensis and M. pyrifera showed a high range of protein contents (13.7–10.8%), amino acid contents (1879.6–1417.7 mg/100 g dry algae) and a low content in lipids (0.7–15.0%). The most abundant fatty acids in C. fragile and G. chilensis were linolenic, oleic, and linoleic acid. δ‐Tocopherol and α‐tocopherol (677.8 and 453.5 µg/g lipid, respectively) were found in C. fragile , while in G. chilensis and M. pyrifera, γ‐tocotrienol and α‐tocopherol (263.5 and 1327.7 µg/g lipid, respectively) were found. In addition, in C. fragile and G. chilensis β‐carotene was the principal carotenoid found (197.9 and 113.7 µg/g dry algae, respectively) compared with M. pyrifera (17.4 µg/g dry algae). The composition of macronutrients (minerals, carbohydrate‐type dietetic fiber, proteins; low in lipids) and micronutrients (essential amino acids, PUFA of balanced n ‐6/ n ‐3 proportion, β‐carotene and α‐tocopherol as source of vitamins A and E), corroborate the nutritional and biological potential of the studied algae, which constitute useful raw materials for the development of diets or ingredients for human and animal nutrition.