Total phenolic compound and fatty acid contents of crude extract from Sargassum fulvellum and its biological activities

Abstract

Seaweeds are used in many maritime countries as a source of food and have been applied to industrial products because they contain essential biochemical components such as minerals, fatty acids, various functional polysaccharides and proteins. Recently, seaweed resources are used as the raw materials for food and cosmetics due to their antioxidant and antibacterial activities, and have been studied as new sources of a variety of compounds showing biological activities of potential medicinal value. We prepared crude extract from Sargassum fulvellum using water as solvent and determined various biochemical components (3 % of protein, 34 % of lipid and 24 % of carbohydrate), especially total phenolic compound (0.08 mg GAE/g) and fatty acid contents (33.79% of unsaturated fatty acids and 66.22 % of saturated fatty acids). The antioxidant activities of seaweed extracts were investigated by based on DPPH radical scavenging activity and superoxide anion scavenging activity and optimal condition for extraction of antioxidative compounds from seaweeds was examined. Specifically anti-arterosclerosis and anti-diabetic effects of seaweed extracts showing the high antioxidative activity were investigated in vitro system.