Abstract
Macroalgae Ulva lactuca, has been employed as a natural source for the production of extracts with potent bioactivity. The biochemical characterization showed that the macroalgae biomass contains a remarkable amount of the polysaccharide Ulvan (49.9 wt%) which is a valuable chemical compound well known for its benefits in human health. Four nontoxic solvents, water, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and an ethanol/water mixture (70:30 v/v) were examined for their recovery efficiency of total carotenoid and phenolic contents. Experimental results showed that the aqueous mixture of ethanol was the most efficient solvent in the recovery of bioactive compounds with extraction yield of 10–15% dw. The effect of extraction parameters, namely time, temperature, and the ratio of biomass to solvent, on the carotenoid and phenolic compounds’ content, antioxidant activity, and extraction yield, was investigated, using the ethanol/water mixture as a solvent. The extract obtained under 60 °C, 3 h of extraction time and 1:10 biomass to solvent mass ratio showed the highest antioxidant activity. This extract maintained its antioxidant capacity almost stable for five days of storage under cool and dark conditions. Finally, specific phenolic and carotenoid compounds in the U. lactuca extracts were identified using the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique.
Highlights
Macroalgae, are macroscopic algae with high growth rate that can be cultivated with minimal use of freshwater at infrastructures installed on non-arable land
Under higher extraction temperatures (40–50 ◦C), a significant increase in the total phenolic content was observed [37]. It can be supported by the results presented in the current study (Figures 3 and 4), that under higher temperature and a higher biomass to solvent ratio, the solubility of the seaweed’s phenolic compounds is enhanced
The U. lactuca biochemical characterization showed that the predominant component of the employed macroalgae was polysaccharide which accounts for 49.9 wt% of the total dry algal biomass
Summary
Macroalgae (seaweeds), are macroscopic algae with high growth rate that can be cultivated with minimal use of freshwater at infrastructures installed on non-arable land. Their cultivation cost is considerably lower compared to microalgae [1]. Macroalgae have great potential for several industrial applications [2] and the interest in algal biotechnology has been increasing in the past few decades, on the exploitation of various macroalgae species for the production of a vast variety of products in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry. U. lactuca, contains commercially valuable chemical compounds that can be exploited in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, chemical, food, and energy applications. Bioactive compounds of major industrial importance found in U. lactuca are phenolics, pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids), and polysaccharides [5]
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