Abstract
While complex lipids of seaweeds are known to display important phytochemical properties, their full potential is yet to be explored. This review summarizes the findings of a systematic survey of scientific publications spanning over the years 2000 to January 2021 retrieved from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases to map the state of the art and identify knowledge gaps on the relationship between the complex lipids of seaweeds and their reported bioactivities. Eligible publications (270 in total) were classified in five categories according to the type of studies using seaweeds as raw biomass (category 1); studies using organic extracts (category 2); studies using organic extracts with identified complex lipids (category 3); studies of extracts enriched in isolated groups or classes of complex lipids (category 4); and studies of isolated complex lipids molecular species (category 5), organized by seaweed phyla and reported bioactivities. Studies that identified the molecular composition of these bioactive compounds in detail (29 in total) were selected and described according to their bioactivities (antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and others). Overall, to date, the value for seaweeds in terms of health and wellness effects were found to be mostly based on empirical knowledge. Although lipids from seaweeds are little explored, the published work showed the potential of lipid extracts, fractions, and complex lipids from seaweeds as functional ingredients for the food and feed, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. This knowledge will boost the use of the chemical diversity of seaweeds for innovative value-added products and new biotechnological applications.
Highlights
Marine macroalgae, popularly known as seaweeds, have emerged as one of the contributors to achieve United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG) [1]
Data (270 publications) was ranked based on biomass of various seaweeds, or their extracts used in the bioassays performed, being grouped in five categories: studies using seaweed as raw seaweed biomass; studies using organic extracts; studies using organic extracts with identified complex lipids; studies of extracts enriched in isolated groups or classes of complex lipids; and studies of isolated complex lipid molecular species
More than 11,300 species of seaweeds are reported on Algabase, of which only 42 species were surveyed on category 4 and category 5, most of them within the Ochrophyta phylum
Summary
Popularly known as seaweeds, have emerged as one of the contributors to achieve United Nations sustainable development goals (SDG) [1]. Algae can be used in healthy and sustainable diets, thereby meeting the farm to fork strategy, which is the core of the European Green Deal [2,3] They are a rich source of nutrients and valuable bioactive phytochemicals that act as preventive agents against non-communicable diseases [4] and that can contribute to overcome multiple societal challenges, such as the ongoing fight on obesity [5] and on the issues caused by antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms [6,7]. Seaweeds, have been used since earliest times as a source of food and in traditional medicine in Asian and other seacoast countries around the world [1] Their generalized value for human nutrition and health is already recognized, it is mostly based on empirical knowledge. Seaweeds are reservoirs of bioactive compounds [10] yet to be fully used in a plethora of blue biotechnology applications [11], such as functional foods and feeds, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical [12], cosmeceutical [13], and other high-end uses
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