Abstract
Overtime seaweeds have been used as a food mainly due to their high nutritional value. This type of food is considered as functional food and contributes to the nutritional human requirements, being beneficial to human health. In this study 13 edible seaweed samples acquired in the marked of São Paulo city were analyzed and the concentrations of elements Cl, K, Mg, Mn and Na were determined by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). The following edible seaweeds were analyzed: Nori (Porphyra umbilicates); Hijiki (Hijikia fusiforme); Kombu (Laminaria sp.) and Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) species from China, USA, Japan and South Korea. The Undaria pinnatifida species presented the highest Na concentration and the lowest K level. The highest variation was obtained for Mn in the Porphyra umbilicates species.
Highlights
Marine algae or seaweeds are autotrophic and photosynthetic organisms that differ from plants and may be unicellular or multicellular [1]
Thirteen samples from four species of edible seaweeds commercially available to consumers were purchased from super markets all around São Paulo City
For the Cl, K, Mg, Mn and Na determination by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) about 0.1 g of the seaweed samples were irradiated for 20 seconds in a thermal neutron flux of 1.0 x 1012 cm-2 s-1 in a pneumatic station of the nuclear research reactor IEA-R1 at IPEN - CNEN/SP
Summary
Marine algae or seaweeds are autotrophic and photosynthetic organisms that differ from plants and may be unicellular or multicellular [1] They are the basis of the food chain for many systems, serving as food for zooplankton, which are heterotrophic microorganisms present in plankton, and are staple foods for larger organisms. In Asian countries algae have been used for centuries as ingredients in soups and salads as lowcalorie foods, while in Western countries their use has traditionally been limited to industrial use as a raw material for extracting alginates from brown algae such as agar-agar and red algae carrageenan [4]. This technique is important in food research providing reliable results for a number of elements that have great nutritional importance [9]
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