Nutritional and techno-functional properties of the brown seaweed Sargassum filipendula

• Published in: Food research international Vol. 191; p. 114728
• Main Authors: Tagliapietra, Bruna Lago, Salvador-Reyes, Rebeca, Pinto, Camila Costa, de Souza, Sergio Michielon, Pallone, Juliana Azevedo Lima, de Araújo Bezerra, Jaqueline, Moreira Mar, Josiana, Aparecido Sanches, Edgar, Clerici, Maria Teresa Pedrosa Silva
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2024
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Brown seaweed; Drying; Nutritional security; Proximal composition; Seaweed proteins; Brown seaweed; Nutritional security; Antioxidants; Proximal composition; Seaweed proteins; Drying
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114728

[Display omitted]
•Seaweed cultivation has food and economic potential for coastal communities.•All seaweed flours are rich in dietary fibers (above 70%).•Drying methods resulted in flours with different techno-functional properties.•Oven drying shows a higher amorphous cellulose fraction in the XRD diffractogram.•Seaweed lyophilized better preserves the antioxidant properties.
With the increasing need to promote healthy and sustainable diets, seaweeds emerge as an environmentally friendly food source, offering a promising alternative for food production. The aim of this study was to characterize the brown seaweed Sargassum filipendula from the coast of São Paulo, Brazil, regarding its nutritional and techno-functional properties using two dehydration methods, oven drying and lyophilized. A commercial dried sample was used as a control. Analyses of proximate composition, mineral determination, amino acid determination, antioxidant capacity, pH, color, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal properties, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and techno-functional properties were performed. Seaweed flours showed significant differences in physicochemical composition, with dietary fiber content of seaweed flours exceeding 70 %. Glutamic and aspartic acids were the most abundant amino acids, with contents of 88.56 and 56.88 mg/g of protein in Sargassum oven drying. Both for antioxidant potential and bioactive compounds, Sargassum lyophilized flours showed the highest levels of compounds. Sargassum lyophilized exhibited lighter color compared to Sargassum oven drying and Sargassum commercial. Emulsion formation, foam formation capacity and stability were higher in Sargassum lyophilized, as well as water and oil absorption. The results suggest that seaweeds can be used to formulate a wide variety of food products, such as sausages, bread, cakes, soups, and sauces.