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Marine Drugs
Special Issues
Marine Algae: Exploring Their Nutritional, Health, and Nutraceutical Potential
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Marine Algae: Exploring Their Nutritional, Health, and Nutraceutical Potential

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine-Derived Ingredients for Drugs, Cosmeceuticals and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 3119

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Leonel Pereira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Marine Resources, Conservation and Technology, Marine Algae Laboratory, Centre for Functional Ecology—Science for People & the Planet (CFE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: marine biotechnology; phycology; biodiversity; nutraceuticals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Marta Gonçalves

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Marine Resources, Conservation and Technology, Marine Algae Laboratory, Centre for Functional Ecology—Science for People & the Planet (CFE), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
2. Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: marine biotechnology; biochemical pathways; nutritional content; trophic food webs; biomarkers; aquatic ecology; aquatic ecotoxicology; biosafety; microplastics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine algae (seaweed) are increasingly recognized for their rich nutritional profiles and their potential health benefits, positioning them as valuable components in the field of nutraceuticals. This Special Issue of Marine Drugs delves into the multifaceted roles of seaweed in human nutrition and health, exploring the bioactive compounds responsible for their therapeutic effects. Contributions will cover a broad spectrum of topics, including the biochemical composition of various seaweed species, their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, and their applications in functional foods and dietary supplements. Additionally, we invite research on the sustainability of seaweed harvesting and cultivation, as well as the development of innovative extraction and processing techniques to maximize their health benefits. This collection aims to enhance our understanding of seaweed as a vital resource for promoting human health and well-being, and to inspire further research and development in the field of marine nutraceuticals.

Dr. Leonel Pereira
Dr. Ana Marta Gonçalves
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Marine Drugs is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • seaweed
  • nutritional composition
  • health benefits
  • bioactive compounds
  • antioxidant properties
  • anti-inflammatory effects
  • anti-cancer potential
  • functional foods
  • dietary supplements
  • nutraceuticals
  • sustainability
  • extraction techniques
  • processing methods
  • human health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1710 KiB  
Article
Extraction Optimization of Polysaccharides from Wet Red Microalga Porphyridium purpureum Using Response Surface Methodology
by Yi Chen, Qianmei Li, Bingqi Xu, Wenzhou Xiang, Aifen Li and Tao Li
Mar. Drugs 2024, 22(11), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/md22110498 - 4 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1010
Abstract
Porphyridium is a unicellular marine microalga that is rich in polysaccharides and has excellent biological activities. Optimizing the extraction of polysaccharides can significantly improve the value of Porphyridium biomass. In the present study, response surface methodology was employed to optimize the extraction conditions [...] Read more.
Porphyridium is a unicellular marine microalga that is rich in polysaccharides and has excellent biological activities. Optimizing the extraction of polysaccharides can significantly improve the value of Porphyridium biomass. In the present study, response surface methodology was employed to optimize the extraction conditions of polysaccharides, including extraction time, extraction temperature, and biomass-to-water ratio. Furthermore, microwave-assisted extraction was used to improve the yield of polysaccharides further. The results showed that increasing the extraction temperature and extraction time could enhance the yield of polysaccharides. The multiple regression analysis of RSM indicated that the model could be employed to optimize the extraction of polysaccharides. The optimal extraction time, extraction temperature, and biomass-to-water ratio were 45 min, 87 °C, and 1:63 g mL−1, respectively. Under these optimal conditions, the maximum yield of polysaccharides was 23.66% DW, which well matched the predicted yield. The results indicated that the extraction temperature was the most significant condition affecting the yield of polysaccharides. The microwave-assisted extraction could further improve the yield of polysaccharides to 25.48% DW. In conclusion, hot water with microwave-assisted extraction was effective for polysaccharide extraction in P. purpureum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Algae: Exploring Their Nutritional, Health, and Nutraceutical Potential)
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19 pages, 2390 KiB  
Article
Advanced Extraction Techniques and Physicochemical Properties of Carrageenan from a Novel Kappaphycus alvarezii Cultivar
by Madalena Mendes, João Cotas, Irene B. Gutiérrez, Ana M. M. Gonçalves, Alan T. Critchley, Lourie Ann R. Hinaloc, Michael Y. Roleda and Leonel Pereira
Mar. Drugs 2024, 22(11), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/md22110491 - 31 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1227
Abstract
Carrageenans are valuable marine polysaccharides derived from specific species of red seaweed (Rhodophyta) widely used as thickening and stabilizing agents across various industries. Kappaphycus alvarezii, predominantly cultivated in tropical countries, is the primary source of kappa-carrageenan. Traditional industrial extraction methods involve alkaline [...] Read more.
Carrageenans are valuable marine polysaccharides derived from specific species of red seaweed (Rhodophyta) widely used as thickening and stabilizing agents across various industries. Kappaphycus alvarezii, predominantly cultivated in tropical countries, is the primary source of kappa-carrageenan. Traditional industrial extraction methods involve alkaline treatment for up to three hours followed by heating, which is inefficient and generates substantial waste. Thus, developing improved extraction techniques would be helpful for enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts, solvent costs, energy consumption, and the required processing time. In this study, we explored innovative extraction methods, such as ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and supercritical water extraction (SFE), together with other extraction methods to produce kappa-carrageenan from a new strain of K. alvarezii from the Philippines. FTIR-ATR spectroscopy was employed to characterize the structure of the different carrageenan fractions. We also examined the physicochemical properties of isolated phycocolloids, including viscosity, and the content of fatty acids, proteins, and carbohydrates. For refined carrageenan (RC), both the traditional extraction method and the UAE method used 1 M NaOH. Additionally, UAE (8% KOH) was employed to produce semi-refined carrageenan (SRC). UAE (8% KOH) produced a high yield of carrageenan, in half the extraction time (extraction yield: 76.70 ± 1.44), and improved carrageenan viscosity (658.7 cP), making this technique highly promising for industrial scaling up. On the other hand, SFE also yielded a significant amount of carrageenan, but the resulting product had the lowest viscosity and an acidic pH, posing safety concerns as classified by the EFSA’s re-evaluation of carrageenan as a food additive. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Algae: Exploring Their Nutritional, Health, and Nutraceutical Potential)
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