Abstract
The marine environment represents a relatively untapped source of functional ingredients that can be applied to various aspects of food processing, storage, and fortification. Moreover, numerous marine-based compounds have been identified as having diverse biological activities, with some reported to interfere with the pathogenesis of diseases. Bioactive peptides isolated from fish protein hydrolysates as well as algal fucans, galactans and alginates have been shown to possess anticoagulant, anticancer and hypocholesterolemic activities. Additionally, fish oils and marine bacteria are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, while crustaceans and seaweeds contain powerful antioxidants such as carotenoids and phenolic compounds. On the basis of their bioactive properties, this review focuses on the potential use of marine-derived compounds as functional food ingredients for health maintenance and the prevention of chronic diseases.
Highlights
Increasing knowledge regarding the impact of diet on human health along with state-of-the-art technologies has led to significant nutritional discoveries, product innovations, and mass production on an unprecedented scale [1]
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) account for almost half of this lipid fraction, with much of it occurring in the form of omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids such as eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (AA) [19]
Other promising sources of functional food ingredients include a red coloured bacterium obtained from Puerto Rico which was found to excrete vitamin B and antibacterial substances into the sea water [75], while Dharmaraj et al [114] confirmed the production of food grade carotenoids by Streptomyces microbes isolated from the marine sponge
Summary
Increasing knowledge regarding the impact of diet on human health along with state-of-the-art technologies has led to significant nutritional discoveries, product innovations, and mass production on an unprecedented scale [1]. Marine-based bioactive food ingredients can be derived from a vast array of sources, including marine plants, microorganisms, and sponges, all of which contain their own unique set of biomolecules [4] Proving that these naturally occurring bioactive substances have a defined health benefit poses a dilemma in nutritional research as investigating preventive activity can be difficult when effect is only moderate. This means that the effect of the compounds on the human body may be very small over relatively short periods but could contribute significantly to health when they are consumed throughout life as part of the daily diet [1]. To facilitate discussion of this issue, the following review examines the existing scientific knowledge which demonstrates the suitability of marine-derived bioactive compounds as functional food ingredients for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases
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