Seasonal effect on the amino acid and fatty acid profiles of Ulva spp. collected from Sepanjang Beach, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

In this study, nutritional composition including amino acid and fatty acid profiles of Ulva spp. from Sepanjang beach, Yogyakarta, Indonesia collected on different seasons were investigated. The result showed that the dry season had a higher level of total amino acid than the rainy season. The presence of complete essential amino acid (EAA) in the rainy and dry seasons was discovered, accounting for 35.88% and 37.51% of the total amino acid, respectively. Flavour amino acids (Glu, Asp, Ala) were prominent in Ulva spp. and reached up to 34.30% of the total amino acid for both seasons. The ratio of essential to non-essential amino acids of Ulva spp. from the dry season was greater and substantially different (p < 0.05) than that of the rainy season. Meanwhile, the sulfur-containing amino acid concentration during the dry season declined to 2.69% from 6.59% of total amino acid in the rainy. As demonstrated by the assessment of fatty acids, saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were more prevalent in Ulva spp. over the dry season, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) dominated during the rainy season. Ulva spp. harvested in the dry season had higher polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content than that of the rainy season. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was only detected in Ulva spp. from the rainy season, whereas DHA and AA were not detected in both samples. Generally, the amino acid and fatty acid profiles of Ulva spp. correlate with seasonal variations. Overall, the present investigation demonstrates the prospects of under-exploited green seaweed resources from Indonesia to be applied in food industries.