A HPLC‐DAD method for identifying and estimating the content of fucoxanthin, β‐carotene and chlorophyll a in brown algal extracts. (October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lourenço-Lopes, C.; Fraga-Corral, M.; Garcia-Perez, P.; Carreira-Casais, A.; Silva, Aurora; Simal-Gandara, J.; Prieto, M.A.
• Is Part Of: Food Chemistry Advances. Volume 1(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Subjects: Fucoxanthin -- β-Carotene -- Chlorophyll A -- Brown macroalgae -- HPLC-DAD method -- Ultrasound-assisted extraction; 664
• DOI: 10.1016/j.focha.2022.100095
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2772-753X

Abstract

Highlights: Effective extraction of fucoxanthin, β-carotene and chlorophyll-a from brown algae. Development of a simple HPLC method for detecting algae pigments. Rapid identification and quantification of pigments by HPLC-DAD. Assessment of the best extraction techniques to obtain the highest yield. Efficient pigment extraction with UAE from nine brown algae species. Abstract: Seaweeds are photosynthetic organisms that have high contents of pigments. The coloration of each alga is defined by the content and combination of pigments synthesized, which varies among species and environmental conditions. The most abundant pigments in algae are chlorophylls and carotenoids, lipophilic molecules that can be used as natural colorants and have high acceptance by consumers. In this work, a simple and short hands-on time HPLC-DAD method for identifying and estimating the pigment content of algal extracts, specifically fucoxanthin, β-carotene and chlorophyll a was carried out. Using this optimized method, a pigment screening was performed on the ethanolic extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction from nine brown algal from the Atlantic coastline: Ascophyllum nodosum, Bifurcaria bifurcata, Fucus spiralis, Himanthalia elongata, Laminaria saccharina, Laminaria ochroleuca, Pelvetia canaliculata, Sargassum muticum and Undaria pinnatifida . HPLC results permitted to highlight L. saccharina and U. pinnatifida as promising sources of these three target pigments containing a total amount of 10.5 – 11.5 mg per gram of dry weight. Among them, the most abundant one was fucoxanthin, an added-value compound with a high potential to be commercially exploited by different industries, such as the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors. Graphical abstract: A simple and minimal hands-on time HPLC-DAD method for identifying and quantifying pigments extracted from macroalgae, specifically fucoxanthin, β-carotene and chlorophyll-a was developed. Moreover, UAE was applied to nine brown algae to establish the most relevant species in terms of pigment production. Image, graphical abstract