Nutritional Value, Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant Property and Agar Yielding Potential of Macroalgae from Coasts of Cox’s Bazar and St. Martin’s Island of Bangladesh
Md. Tahmeed Hossain, Abdullah Al Mamun Sohag, Md. Nazmul Haque, Md. Tahjib‐Ul‐Arif, Raju Dash, Muhammad Tanvir Hossain Chowdhury, Md. Afzal Hossain, Il Soo Moon, Md. Abdul Hannan
Abstract
Macroalgae are gaining popularity as unconventional food sources because of their essential nutrients and bioactive metabolites. Nutrient composition, phytochemical profile, and antioxidant property of five macroalgae have been investigated. The proximate composition analysis revealed the highest protein (19.99%) and fiber (26.82%) in Gracilaria tenuistipitata, crude fat (3.85%) in Spatoglossum asperum, and ash (14.71%) in Hypnea boergesenii. Mineral analysis indicated substantially high calcium and sodium in H. boergesenii (756.924 and 17.62 mg % DM, respectively), potassium in S. tenerrimum (523.77 mg% DM), iron in Enteromorpha intestinalis (98.27 mg% DM), copper in S. tenerrimum (2.24 mg% DM), and zinc in S. asperum (1.90 mg% DM). Chlorophyll and carotenoid were highest in E. intestinalis (1.57 mg/g) and S. asperum (0.19 mg/g), respectively. Phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and flavonoids in algae. Agar extraction with 6% NaOH resulted in maximum agar yield from G. tenuistipitata. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay indicates that H. boergesenii exhibited a moderate antioxidant activity (IC50 value, 91.06 ± 6.44 μg/mL). Together, these findings indicate that marine algae could be a rich source of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds with pharmacological potential suggesting their use as promising functional food ingredients for human well-being.