Extraction Optimization, Analysis and Biological Activity of Volatile Compounds from Padina pavonia Collected from Farasan Island’s Coasts, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Marine brown algae are a source of a broad spectrum of active compounds with nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. This study aimed to identify the essential oil (EO) compounds and assay the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of ethanol and acetone extracts of Padina pavonia harvested from Farasan Island’s coasts in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia. Steam distillation was employed to extract the EO and analyze using GC-MS. Forty-one compounds were identified in the volatile fraction of P. pavonia, accounting for 89.23% of the total oil. Fatty acids were the primary class of volatile compounds (44%). A freeze-dried algal sample was used for solvent extraction. Optimized extraction with ethanol (50%) and acetone by Soxhlet extractor at 60oC for 2h yielded extracts with high antioxidant activity (IC50: 143 and 222 µg/mL), respectively. Acetone extract showed higher broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi than ethanol 50% extract. The results of this paper present the first report on essential oils from P. pavonia in the Red Sea.