Effect of Oven-Drying on the Recovery of Valuable Compounds from , sp. and .

The effect of oven-drying at 25, 40 and 60 °C was evaluated on three macroalgae of relevance in Europe, namely , sp. and , with respect to quality aspects, including their potential to be exploited as a source of valuable compounds. Notably, as compared to freeze-drying, oven-drying at 25 °C promoted the extraction of chlorophylls and carotenoids from , as well as those of phycoerythrin and chlorophyll from sp., while 40 °C favored the recovery of fucoxanthin and pheophytin from . On the other hand, the use of oven-drying had a negative impact on the extraction of phenolic compounds from this alga, also diminishing the antioxidant activity of the resulting extracts. Instead, the impact of oven-drying of raw material on the recovery of specific polysaccharides differed among the macroalgae. While the amounts of ulvans and fucoidans obtained from macroalgae dried at higher temperatures tended to be superior, the recovery of agar was not affected with the drying temperatures applied to sp. The overall results showed that oven-drying might serve as a good alternative to stabilize , sp. and , especially if extraction of pigments and polysaccharides is aimed, thought the appropriate temperature applied must be adapted for each macroalgae.