Abstract
The increase in life expectancy has led to the appearance of chronic diseases and interest in healthy aging, in turn promoting a growing interest in bioactive compounds (BCs) and functional ingredients. There are certain foods or products rich in functional ingredients, and algae are one of them. Algae consumption has been nominal in Europe until now. However, in recent years, it has grown significantly, partly due to globalization and the adoption of new food trends. With the aim of obtaining BCs from foods, multiple methods have been proposed, ranging from conventional ones, such as maceration or Soxhlet extraction, to more innovative methods, e.g., ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). UAE constitutes a novel method, belonging to so-called green chemistry, that enables the extraction of BCs requiring lower amounts of solvent and energy costs, preserving the integrity of such molecules. In recent years, this method has been often used for the extraction of different BCs from a wide range of algae, especially polysaccharides, such as carrageenans and alginate; pigments, including fucoxanthin, chlorophylls, or β-carotene; and phenolic compounds, among others. In this way, the application of UAE to marine algae is an efficient and sustainable strategy to pursue their deep characterization as a new source of BCs, especially suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets.
Highlights
The increasing incidence of chronic and non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, cancer, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, has promoted the interest in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle and a higher consciousness of nutrition, since diet plays an essential role in the prevention of such disorders [1,2]
The use of this approach for the recovering of bioactive compounds (BCs) bound to the complex matrix like algae is still a challenge, since the power must be sufficient to be able to produce cavitation inside the extraction container found inside the bath, which is not always easy with this equipment
The awareness about the environmental impact of human activities has prompted the development of green extraction techniques such as ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) to obtain compounds in a safer and more sustainable way
Summary
The increasing incidence of chronic and non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, cancer, obesity, and metabolic syndrome, has promoted the interest in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle and a higher consciousness of nutrition, since diet plays an essential role in the prevention of such disorders [1,2] In this way, consumers have been increasingly interested in the intake of products with health-promoting properties [3]. The safety of synthetic compounds is normally assessed by different official regulations, currently, there is a consumer preference for natural bioactive compounds (BCs) [4] In this sense, natural BCs can be extracted from biological matrices with different origins, including animal, plant, and marine resources.
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