Abstract
Seaweeds are industrially exploited for obtaining pigments, polysaccharides, or phenolic compounds with application in diverse fields. Nevertheless, their rich composition in fiber, minerals, and proteins, has pointed them as a useful source of these components. Seaweed proteins are nutritionally valuable and include several specific enzymes, glycoproteins, cell wall-attached proteins, phycobiliproteins, lectins, or peptides. Extraction of seaweed proteins requires the application of disruptive methods due to the heterogeneous cell wall composition of each macroalgae group. Hence, non-protein molecules like phenolics or polysaccharides may also be co-extracted, affecting the extraction yield. Therefore, depending on the macroalgae and target protein characteristics, the sample pretreatment, extraction and purification techniques must be carefully chosen. Traditional methods like solid–liquid or enzyme-assisted extraction (SLE or EAE) have proven successful. However, alternative techniques as ultrasound- or microwave-assisted extraction (UAE or MAE) can be more efficient. To obtain protein hydrolysates, these proteins are subjected to hydrolyzation reactions, whether with proteases or physical or chemical treatments that disrupt the proteins native folding. These hydrolysates and derived peptides are accounted for bioactive properties, like antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, or antihypertensive activities, which can be applied to different sectors. In this work, current methods and challenges for protein extraction and purification from seaweeds are addressed, focusing on their potential industrial applications in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.
Highlights
Since seaweeds are marine organisms, they are susceptible to strong osmotic pressures, and their cell walls may be broken by allowing the seaweed biomass to be transferred into hypotonic solutions
Another study reported the application of pulse-electric field (PEF) with a custom-made insulated gate bipolar transistor-pulsed generator coupled with a gravitation press-electrode to aid protein extraction from U. ohnoi, improving protein yield from 3.16% to 14.94% [23]
This was compared to other approaches, like high hydrostatic pressure extraction (HHPE) or laboratory autoclave treatment that yielded protein recoveries ranging from 16.1% to 24.3% out of total protein
Summary
Seaweeds are considered an important source of macronutrients, especially proteins and lipids, and micronutrients, represented by vitamins and minerals, together with dietary fiber and other minoritarian constituents, as it is the case of polyphenols This rich variety of biomolecules turns macroalgae into a well appreciated resource for the extraction of natural ingredients aimed to the development of nutraceuticals, functional food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, or animal feeding, among others [1]. Seaweed have been consumed since ancient times, mostly in Asian countries, and nowadays, they may be used for fortifying food or feed matrixes either with low protein content or poor amino acidic profile They can be used as natural food preservatives or additives to improve the organoleptic properties of food products while minimizing the side effects associated to their synthetic analogues [9]. Available methods of SP extraction, purification, and hydrolysate production will be discussed
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