Characterization of Spanish powdered seaweeds: Composition, antioxidant capacity and technological properties. (September 2018) - Fernández-Segovia, Isabel
Abstract: This work aimed to characterise four seaweed species: nori ( Phorphyra ), kombu ( Laminaria ), wakame ( Undaria ) and sea spaghetti ( Himanthalia elongata ). Their nutritional composition, total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant capacity, oil and water holding capacity (OHC and WHC), and swelling capacity (SC) were determined. Wakame and nori exhibited the highest proteins contents, rich in essential amino acids and in those related to umami flavour. All the samples had a low lipid content and high ash content values. High fibre levels were observed, especially in kombu. The TPC content and antioxidant capacity of sea spaghetti was significantly higher than in the other samples. The OHC, WHC and SC of the seaweeds demonstrated their potential influence on texture of food products. The incorporation of these seaweeds into different foodstuffs could entail an improvement of the nutritional quality and texture properties, and could also reduce the use of Na and synthetic additives. Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image Highlights: Nori, wakame, kombu and sea spaghetti showed excellent nutritional properties. High fibre levels were observed in all seaweeds, especially in kombu. Sea spaghetti had the highest value of antioxidant activity. The four seaweeds presented good properties of oil and water holding capacity. The seaweeds studied could replace synthetic additives in food products.