Amino acids, fatty acids, and dietary fibre in edible seaweed products

The nutritional compositions of 34 edible seaweed products of the Laminaria sp., Undaria pinnatifida, Hizikia fusiforme and Porphyra sp. varieties were analyzed. This study determined amino acid and fatty acid (FA) distributions and contents of protein, fat, and total fibre of these seaweed varieties. In general, the marine macroalgae varieties tested demonstrated low lipid contents with 2.3 +/- 1.6 g/100 g semi-dry sample weight (s.w.) and proved to be a rich source of dietary fibre (46.2 +/- 8.0 g/100 g s.w). The pure protein content of seaweed products varied widely (26.6 +/- 6.3 g/100 g s.w. in red algae varieties and 12.9 +/- 6.2 g/100 g sw. in brown algae varieties). All essential amino acids were detected in the seaweed species tested and red algae species featured uniquely high concentrations of taurine when compared to brown algae varieties. Interestingly, the FA distribution of seaweed products showed high levels of n-3 FA and demonstrated a nutritionally ideal n-6/n-3 FA ratio. The predominante FA in various seaweed products was eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5, n-3) which was at concentrations as high as 50% of total FA content. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.