Identification and characterization of marine seaweeds for biocompounds production

Abstract Seaweeds from three different phyla including Sargassum thunbergii GEEL-15 (Phaeophyta), Mastocarpus stellatus GEEL-16 (Rhodophyta), and Ulva sp. GEEL-17 (Chlorophyta) were screened, identified, and evaluated for their potential applications. Characterizations including analysis of the bio-components (carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids), proximate and ultimate analyses were performed along with FTIR and TGA/DTG analyses. High volatile solid (>71%) and carbon (>32%) content in seaweeds suggested the prosperous presence of organics such as polysaccharides, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, and esters. The content of carbohydrates ranged from 35.08–55.40%, with GEEL-17 having the highest. While the second biocompound was proteins (4.24–9.14%) followed by lipids (4.63–7.88%). The major functional groups were confirmed by FTIR peaks i.e. carboxyl, amino, hydroxyl, amide, ester, and sulfate groups. Properties of these seaweeds showed that they can produce value-added compounds (such as alginate, fucoidan, and glycoproteins). This study demonstrated that obtained seaweeds are the potential candidate for biocompound production.