Nutritional and Bioactivity Evaluation of Common Seaweed Species from the Persian Gulf

Macroalgae are source of various nutritious compounds such as protein, lipid, vitamin, fatty acid, amino acid, carbohydrate, mineral and other nutraceuticals. These marine bioresources also have attracted attention for their bioactive substances with antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic activities. In this study, three macroalgae species, Ulva linza, Sargassum vulgar and Gracilaria corticata collected from the Persian Gulf coastlines, were evaluated for their nutritional and biological activity based on common analyses methods. Protein, lipid and ash contents were found to be high in Ulva linza (18.52%), Sargassum vulgar (4.15%) and Gracilaria corticata (24.27%), respectively, whereas maximum phenolic (783 mg/100 g dw.) and flavonoid (565 mg/100 g dw.) contents were observed in U. linza. The most abundant monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids were C18:1n-9 and C18:4, respectively. Leucine and phenylalanine were found highest among the essential amino acids. S. vulgar showed the greatest reduction activity, and the maximum total antioxidant capacity was found in U. linza. Ethyl acetate extracts of S. vulgar showed the maximum inhibition activity against Salmonella typhimurium (11 mm), and EA extracts of U. linza showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis (16 mm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12 mm). The marine macroalgae examined in this study are potentially suitable sources of bioactive components for future applications in medicine and food production.