Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the chemical and functional properties of five Kenyan seaweed species namely; (Hypnea musciformis, Eucheuma denticulatum, Laurencia intermedia, Sargassum oligocystum, Ulva fasciata) as a potential fat replacer in chicken sausage processing. The proximate composition was investigated using the standard AOAC methods, while the nitrogen-free extract (NFE) was determined by weight difference of the proximate components. The seaweeds were analyzed for mineral composition using atomic absorption spectrophotometry while the fatty acid profile was determined by gas chromatography. The water holding capacity and the emulsion capacity of the seaweed were determined using AACC procedures. The highest proximate component was NFE (65.06 %) while the least was crude fat (0.87 %). Among the nine minerals analyzed, calcium was the highest (1185.29 mg/100g) while lead was not detected. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) were the highest with a range of 53.03-71.05 % followed by monounsaturated fatty acids (4.83-17.71%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (2.75 - 10.13%). The highest emulsifying activity was obtained in Ulva fasciata (75.66 %) and Eucheuma denticulatum (75.69 %) while the lowest was obtained in Sargassum oligocystum (59.19 %). The highest water holding capacity was obtained in Sargassum oligocystum (13.75ml/g) while the lowest was recorded in Eucheuma denticulatum (8.42ml/g) and Ulva fasciata (9.16ml/g). The findings of this study demonstrated the potential of seaweeds in improving the chemical and functional characteristics of processed foods.
Highlights
Seaweed is a common term for marine macroalgae
The results indicated that seaweed varieties of Hypnea musciformis and Sargassum oligocystum had the highest levels of nitrogen-free extract (NFE) at 73.07 and 71.42 % respectively
These variation could be attributed to differences in biological, physical, and environmental factors, which are related to the difference in species, habitat and seasonality (Marinho-Soriano et al, 2006)
Summary
Seaweed is a common term for marine macroalgae. They are classified based on their chemical and nutrition composition as phaeophyta (brown algae), rhodophyta (red algae) and chlorophyta (green algae) (Dawczynski et al, 2007). Seaweeds are largely consumed as human food in Japan, Vietnam, Korea, China, Indonesia, Philippines and Taiwan (Dawes, 1998). About 150 out of 250 species of commercially used seaweeds are consumed in fresh or dry form and the rest of the species are used as animal feeds, fertilizer, fungicide, herbicides and various industrial applications (Fleurence, 1999; Kumari et al, 2010)
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