Fatty Acids, alpha-Tocopherol and Proximate Composition of Four Red Macroalgae in the Sinop Bay (Turkey)

Abstract

The present investigation was to study the nutritional value, fatty acid composition and a-tocopherol of the red macroalgae Rhodophyta (Antithamnion, Ceramium, Corallina and Laurencia sp.) in the Sinop Bay from Black Sea. The highest level of 20:5 (n-3) was 27.18% of Dry Weight (DW) for Antithamnion sp., however, the lowest level was 11.90% DW for Ceramium sp. The alpha-tocopherol content in samples showed marked variation among the four types of algae and it was max; 21.2 +/- 0.2 and min; 8.5 +/- 0.3 mu g g(-1) DW. The highest level of total carotenoids was determined in the Antithamnion sp., contained as 1.69 +/- 0.46 mu g g(-1) DW. Nevertheless, the highest level of chlorophyll a was observed in the Laurencia sp. (0.26 +/- 0.01 mu g g(-1)). The crude protein content of the Antithamnion sp. (28.1 +/- 0.3%) and Ceramium sp. (28.5 +/- 0.5%) was higher than the Corallina and Laurencia sp. As a result, Antithamnion sp., is a good source of lipids with a good level of EPA, total carotenoids and alpha-tocopherol and Ceramum sp., evidenced to be an excellent protein source. In Europe, the development of novel foods, such as functional foods could be a new possibility for the use of these macroalgae, especially for the protein, fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol-rich species in human nutrition This present study results showed that these red macroalgae in the Sinop Bay could be utilized as functional ingredients for the valuable nutritional properties for seafood industries.