Seasonal changes in the nutritional composition of agarophyton vermiculophyllum (Rhodophyta, Gracilariales) from the Center of Portugal

Afonso, Clélia; Correia, Ana; Freitas, Marta; Baptista, Teresa; Neves, Marta; Mouga, Teresa

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/5871

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Abstract(s)

Seaweeds exhibit high nutritional value due to a balanced concentration of proteins, vitamins and minerals, a high concentration of low digestibility polysaccharides, and reduced levels of lipids, many of which are n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. The species Agarophyton vermiculophyllum is no exception and, as such, a comprehensive study of the chemical and nutritional profile of this red seaweed was carried out for 1 year. Seasonal variations in moisture, ash, protein and amino acids content, crude fibers, ascorbic acid, agar, lipids, and the corresponding fatty acid profile, were analyzed. We found low levels of fatty acids and a high protein content, but also noticed interesting seasonal change patterns in these compounds. The present study gives insights on the environmental conditions that can lead to changes in the nutritional composition of this species, aiming, therefore, to bring new conclusions about the manipulation of environmental conditions that allow for maximizing the nutritional value of this seaweed.

Description

Funding: This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through the strategic project UIDB/04292/2020 granted to MARE and the Operational Programme MAR2020 [Project 16-02-01-FMP-84-SeaWeedFeeds]. Acknowledgments: M.N. was supported by Integrated Programme of SR&TD “SmartBioR” (reference Centro-01-0145-FEDER-000018) co-funded by Centro 2020 program, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund.

Keywords

Red seaweed Protein content Fatty acid profile Amino acid profile Total dietary fiber Ash content

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/5871

Citation

Afonso, C.; Correia, A.P.; Freitas, M.V.; Baptista, T.; Neves, M.; Mouga, T. (2021) Seasonal Changes in the Nutritional Composition of Agarophyton vermiculophyllum (Rhodophyta, Gracilariales) from the Center of Portugal. Foods 2021, 10, 1145. https://doi.org/10.3390/ foods10051145