The Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Activity from Undariopsis peterseniana

The proximate composition, free amino acid composition and mineral contents from Undariopsis peterseniana were determined, and the antioxidant activities of ethanol (EtOH) and hot water extracts of U. peterseniana were investigated using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (2,2"- azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid)) radical scavenging effects and reducing power. The contents of moisture, ash, protein, lipid and carbohydrate were 12.5%, 23.1%, 9.7%, 0.2% and 54.5%, respectively, and alginic acid content was 12.3%. The major free amino acid contents were alanine, phenylalanine, aminoethanol, valine, glutamic acid and phosphoserine. Ca (1589.1 mg) was the largest mineral followed by Na (344.6 mg), Mg (74.3 mg), Zn (10.2 mg) and Fe (1.5 mg). The total phenolic contents of EtOH and hot water extracts were exhibited at 15.7 and 4.3 mg GAE/g sample, respectively. The antioxidant activity of EtOH extract exhibited strong ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities with reducing power, and hot water extract also demonstrated strong ABTS radical scavenging effects. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that U. peterseniana contained an abundance of naturally occurring nutrients (free amino acids and minerals), and the strong antioxidant activities of EtOH and hot water extracts from U. peterseniana could be good sources of natural antioxidants for healthcare products.