Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/105202
Title: On the Health Benefits vs. Risks of Seaweeds and Their Constituents: The Curious Case of the Polymer Paradigm
Authors: Cotas, João 
Pacheco, Diana 
Araujo, Glacio Souza
Valado, Ana 
Critchley, Alan T. 
Pereira, Leonel 
Keywords: polysaccharides; health benefits; health risks; biomedical; polymer seasonal variation
Issue Date: 19-Mar-2021
Publisher: MDPI
Project: UIDB/04292/2020 
PTDC/BIA-CBI/31144/2017-POCI-01 project -0145-FEDER-031144-MARINE INVADERS 
European Regional Development Fund - Interreg Atlantic Area Program, under the project NASPA (EAPA_451/2016) 
metadata.degois.publication.title: Marine drugs
metadata.degois.publication.volume: 19
metadata.degois.publication.issue: 3
Abstract: To exploit the nutraceutical and biomedical potential of selected seaweed-derived polymers in an economically viable way, it is necessary to analyze and understand their quality and yield fluctuations throughout the seasons. In this study, the seasonal polysaccharide yield and respective quality were evaluated in three selected seaweeds, namely the agarophyte Gracilaria gracilis, the carrageenophyte Calliblepharis jubata (both red seaweeds) and the alginophyte Sargassum muticum (brown seaweed). It was found that the agar synthesis of G. gracilis did not significantly differ with the seasons (27.04% seaweed dry weight (DW)). In contrast, the carrageenan content in C. jubata varied seasonally, being synthesized in higher concentrations during the summer (18.73% DW). Meanwhile, the alginate synthesis of S. muticum exhibited a higher concentration (36.88% DW) during the winter. Therefore, there is a need to assess the threshold at which seaweed-derived polymers may have positive effects or negative impacts on human nutrition. Furthermore, this study highlights the three polymers, along with their known thresholds, at which they can have positive and/or negative health impacts. Such knowledge is key to recognizing the paradigm governing their successful deployment and related beneficial applications in humans.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/105202
ISSN: 1660-3397
DOI: 10.3390/md19030164
Rights: openAccess
Appears in Collections:FCTUC Ciências da Vida - Artigos em Revistas Internacionais

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