Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Food Science, Veterinary Faculty University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, 30100 Espinardo, Spain.
Centro Tecnológico de la Carne de Galicia, Parque Tecnológico de Galicia, 32900 San Cibrao das Viñas, Spain.
Mar Drugs. 2020 Jun 5;18(6):301. doi: 10.3390/md18060301.
Seaweeds have been used since ancient times as food, mainly by Asian countries, while in Western countries, their main application has been as gelling agents and colloids for the food, pharmaceuticals, and the cosmetic industry. Seaweeds are a good source of nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Polyphenols, polysaccharides, and sterols, as well as other bioactive molecules, are mainly responsible for the healthy properties associated with seaweed. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic properties are attributed to these compounds. If seaweeds are compared to terrestrial plants, they have a higher proportion of essential fatty acids as eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids. In addition, there are several secondary metabolites that are synthesized by algae such as terpenoids, oxylipins, phlorotannins, volatile hydrocarbons, and products of mixed biogenetic origin. Therefore, algae can be considered as a natural source of great interest, since they contain compounds with numerous biological activities and can be used as a functional ingredient in many technological applications to obtain functional foods.
海藻自古以来就是食物的来源，主要被亚洲国家所利用，而在西方国家，海藻的主要应用是作为食品、制药和化妆品行业的胶凝剂和胶体。海藻是蛋白质、维生素、矿物质和膳食纤维等营养物质的良好来源。多酚、多糖和甾醇以及其他生物活性分子主要负责与海藻相关的健康特性。抗氧化、抗炎、抗癌和抗糖尿病特性归因于这些化合物。如果将海藻与陆生植物进行比较，它们的必需脂肪酸比例更高，如二十碳五烯酸（EPA）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）脂肪酸。此外，藻类还合成了几种次生代谢产物，如萜类化合物、氧化脂类、岩藻黄质、挥发性碳氢化合物和混合生物起源的产物。因此，藻类可以被认为是一个非常有吸引力的天然来源，因为它们含有具有多种生物活性的化合物，并可以作为许多技术应用中的功能性成分，以获得功能性食品。
