Biochemical Composition of Seaweeds along Central West Coast of India

Abstract

Seaweeds from Asia have a great commercial application as the source of phycocolloides since a very long time. Present investigation reveals biochemical composition of three commonly occurring seaweeds, along the central west coast of India. Seaweeds viz. Ulva fasciata (green), Sargassum ilicifolium (brown) and Gracillaria corticata (red) were analyzed for protein, lipid, carbohydrate, ash and mineral content. S. ilicifolium ranked highest in total protein content among the species analyzed. All species contained approximately 5% crude lipid, although U. fasciata species had 6.3% crude lipid based on dry weight. Total carbohydrates ranged from 4.2 to 6.72% dry weight. Ash values ranged from 7.5% to 15.9%. All species contained measurable quantities of 10 essential mineral elements.