Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2020) | Viewed by 30897

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development, College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
Interests: algal biotechnology; bioprocessing; marine bioactives; downstream processing; omega-3; carotenoids; proteins; enzymes; nanotechnology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine ecosystems have a high diversity of living organisms providing numerous marine resources that possess a goldmine of biologically active materials suitable for human nutrition and health. The diverse group of organisms includes invertebrates, macroalgae, microalgae, bacteria, cyanobacteria and crustaceans that produce bioactives (secondary metabolites) as an adaptation to the hostile marine environment. Numerous bioactive compounds have been studied recently with potential biomedical and food applications. These bioactive compounds include certain polysaccharides (agar, carrageenan, fucoidans, etc), proteins and peptides (collagen gelatin, phycocyanin), fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids, and carotenoids), enzymes (proteases, lipases), vitamins and minerals (fat and water soluble) that can be added to foods to produce functional or fortified foods. In addition, these marine-derived compounds are known to possess anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, prebiotic and probiotic activity, enabling them to be applied as nutraceuticals. The Special Issue is devoted to recent research in marine nutraceuticals, our understanding of the requirements and benefits of nutraceutical supplementation, the cost-effective production of bioactives, the use of innovative technologies in extracting and stabilising marine bioactives, and their application as functional food.

This issue will cover:

  • Recent developments in the production of nutraceuticals from marine biomass (microalgae, macroalgae, bacterium and marine animals)
  • Technology development for the cost-effective production of marine bioactives
  • Innovative technology development for extracting nutraceuticals
  • Application of various marine bioactives as functional food, etc.

Prof. Dr. Munish Puri
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Carotenoids
  • Bioactives
  • Microalgae
  • Functional food
  • Probiotic, prebiotic
  • Macroalgae
  • Seaweed

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2745 KiB  
Article
Exploring Ultrasound, Microwave and Ultrasound–Microwave Assisted Extraction Technologies to Increase the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidants from Brown Macroalgae
by Marco Garcia-Vaquero, Viruja Ummat, Brijesh Tiwari and Gaurav Rajauria
Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(3), 172; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18030172 - 20 Mar 2020
Cited by 122 | Viewed by 9964
Abstract
This study aims to determine the influence of (1) ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), (2) microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and (3) a combination of ultrasound–microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE) on the yields of fucose-sulphated polysaccharides (FSPs), total soluble carbohydrates and antioxidants extracted from A. nodosum. Scanning electron [...] Read more.
This study aims to determine the influence of (1) ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), (2) microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and (3) a combination of ultrasound–microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE) on the yields of fucose-sulphated polysaccharides (FSPs), total soluble carbohydrates and antioxidants extracted from A. nodosum. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the influence of the extraction technologies on the surface of macroalgae while principal component analysis was used to assess the influence of the extraction forces on the yields of compounds. UMAE generated higher yields of compounds compared to UAE and MAE methods separately. The maximum yields of compounds achieved using UMAE were: FSPs (3533.75 ± 55.81 mg fucose/100 g dried macroalgae (dm)), total soluble carbohydrates (10408.72 ± 229.11 mg glucose equivalents/100 g dm) and phenolic compounds (2605.89 ± 192.97 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g dm). The antioxidant properties of the extracts showed no clear trend or extreme improvements by using UAE, MAE or UMAE. The macroalgal cells were strongly altered by the application of MAE and UMAE, as revealed by the SEM images. Further research will be needed to understand the combined effect of sono-generated and microwave-induced modifications on macroalgae that will allow us to tailor the forces of extraction to target specific molecules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods)
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17 pages, 2988 KiB  
Article
The Nutritional and Pharmacological Potential of New Australian Thraustochytrids Isolated from Mangrove Sediments
by Thi Linh Nham Tran, Ana F. Miranda, Adarsha Gupta, Munish Puri, Andrew S. Ball, Benu Adhikari and Aidyn Mouradov
Mar. Drugs 2020, 18(3), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/md18030151 - 06 Mar 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3869
Abstract
Mangrove sediments represent unique microbial ecosystems that act as a buffer zone, biogeochemically recycling marine waste into nutrient-rich depositions for marine and terrestrial species. Marine unicellular protists, thraustochytrids, colonizing mangrove sediments have received attention due to their ability to produce large amounts of [...] Read more.
Mangrove sediments represent unique microbial ecosystems that act as a buffer zone, biogeochemically recycling marine waste into nutrient-rich depositions for marine and terrestrial species. Marine unicellular protists, thraustochytrids, colonizing mangrove sediments have received attention due to their ability to produce large amounts of long-chain ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acids. This paper represents a comprehensive study of two new thraustochytrids for their production of valuable biomolecules in biomass, de-oiled cakes, supernatants, extracellular polysaccharide matrixes, and recovered oil bodies. Extracted lipids (up to 40% of DW) rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (up to 80% of total fatty acids) were mainly represented by docosahexaenoic acid (75% of polyunsaturated fatty acids). Cells also showed accumulation of squalene (up to 13 mg/g DW) and carotenoids (up to 72 µg/g DW represented by astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, echinenone, and β-carotene). Both strains showed a high concentration of protein in biomass (29% DW) and supernatants (2.7 g/L) as part of extracellular polysaccharide matrixes. Alkalinization of collected biomass represents a new and easy way to recover lipid-rich oil bodies in the form of an aqueous emulsion. The ability to produce added-value molecules makes thraustochytrids an important alternative to microalgae and plants dominating in the food, pharmacological, nutraceutical, and cosmetics industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods)
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21 pages, 331 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Increasing Inclusion Levels of a Fucoidan-Rich Extract Derived from Ascophyllum nodosum on Growth Performance and Aspects of Intestinal Health of Pigs Post-Weaning
by Ruth Rattigan, Torres Sweeney, Stafford Vigors, Kevin Thornton, Gaurav Rajauria and John V O’Doherty
Mar. Drugs 2019, 17(12), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/md17120680 - 30 Nov 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2688
Abstract
This study examines the effects of increasing dietary inclusion levels of fucoidan, from a 44% fucoidan extract on the growth performance and intestinal health of pigs post-weaning (PW). Seventy-two newly weaned pigs (8.4 kg (SD 1.06)) were assigned to: (T1) basal diet (BD); [...] Read more.
This study examines the effects of increasing dietary inclusion levels of fucoidan, from a 44% fucoidan extract on the growth performance and intestinal health of pigs post-weaning (PW). Seventy-two newly weaned pigs (8.4 kg (SD 1.06)) were assigned to: (T1) basal diet (BD); (T2) BD + 125 ppm fucoidan; (T3) BD + 250 ppm fucoidan (8 pens/treatment). The appropriate quantity of a 44% fucoidan extract was included to achieve these inclusion levels. Faecal scores were recorded daily. On d15 PW, samples were collected from the intestinal tract from 1 pig/pen from the BD and BD + 250 ppm fucoidan groups. Pigs supplemented with 250 ppm fucoidan had improved faecal scores and increased concentrations of total volatile fatty acids and propionate in the colon (p < 0.05). The fucoidan-rich extract reduced the expression of CLDN5 (duodenum), SCL5A1/SGLT1 and SI (jejunum) and TJP1, FABP2, and SLC5A1 (ileum) (p < 0.05). The extract reduced the relative abundance of Prevotella and Lachnospiraceae (p < 0.05) and increased the abundance of Helicobacter (p < 0.01) in the caecum. However, no negative impact on growth performance or small intestinal morphology was observed. Thus, the inclusion of 250 ppm fucoidan improves faecal consistency without affecting growth performance and therefore warrants further investigation as a supplement for the prevention of PW diarrhoea under more challenging commercial conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods)
14 pages, 5321 KiB  
Article
Nutraceutical Extract from Dulse (Palmaria palmata L.) Inhibits Primary Human Neutrophil Activation
by Maria C Millan-Linares, Maria E Martin, Noelia M Rodriguez, Rocio Toscano, Carmen Claro, Beatriz Bermudez, Justo Pedroche, Francisco Millan and Sergio Montserrat-de la Paz
Mar. Drugs 2019, 17(11), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/md17110610 - 25 Oct 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3260
Abstract
Palmaria palmata L. (Palmariaceae), commonly known as “dulse”, is a red alga that grows on the northern coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and is widely used as source of fiber and protein. Dulse is reported to contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, [...] Read more.
Palmaria palmata L. (Palmariaceae), commonly known as “dulse”, is a red alga that grows on the northern coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and is widely used as source of fiber and protein. Dulse is reported to contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, albeit no study has investigated these effects in primary human neutrophils. Implication strategies to diminish neutrophil activation have the potential to prevent pathological states. We evaluated the ability of a phenolic dulse extract (DULEXT) to modulate the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated activation of primary human neutrophils. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by fluorescence analysis and nitric oxide (NO) production using the Griess reaction. Inflammatory enzymes and cytokines were detected by ELISA and RT-qPCR. The results show that DULEXT diminished the neutrophil activation related to the down-regulation of TLR4 mRNA expression, deceased gene expression and the LPS-induced release of the chemoattractant mediator IL-8 and the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. ROS, NO, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were also depressed. The data indicated that DULEXT has the potential to disrupt the activation of human primary neutrophils and the derived inflammatory and prooxidant conditions, and suggest a new role for Palmaria palmata L. in the regulation of the pathogenesis of health disorders in which neutrophils play a key role, including atherosclerosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods)
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17 pages, 4902 KiB  
Article
Immunomodulatory Activity of Low Molecular-Weight Peptides from Nibea japonica in RAW264.7 Cells via NF-κB Pathway
by Zhuangwei Zhang, Xuyang Hu, Lin Lin, Guofang Ding and Fangmiao Yu
Mar. Drugs 2019, 17(7), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/md17070404 - 08 Jul 2019
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 4641
Abstract
In this study, a low molecular-weight (Mw) peptide named NJP (<1 kDa), was purified from a protein hydrolysate of Nibea japonica by ultrafiltration, and its immunomodulatory effect on RAW264.7 cells was evaluated. The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and MTT assays were performed to explore [...] Read more.
In this study, a low molecular-weight (Mw) peptide named NJP (<1 kDa), was purified from a protein hydrolysate of Nibea japonica by ultrafiltration, and its immunomodulatory effect on RAW264.7 cells was evaluated. The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and MTT assays were performed to explore the cytotoxicity of NJP. The results showed that NJP promoted cell proliferation and had no significant toxic effects on RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, the cells formed multiple pseudopodia indicating that they were in activated state. Further tests showed that NJP significantly promoted phagocytic capacity, and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). It also increased the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) by upregulating inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein level. Flow cytometry revealed that NJP promoted cell cycle progression and increased the percentage of cells in G0/G1 phase. NJP promoted IκBα degradation, p65 and nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation and translocation by up-regulating IKKα/β protein expression. In conclusion, these results indicated that NJP exerts immunomodulatory effects on RAW264.7 cells through the NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, NJP can be incorporated in the production of functional foods or nutraceuticals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods)
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14 pages, 3084 KiB  
Article
Preventive Effects of Fucoidan and Fucoxanthin on Hyperuricemic Rats Induced by Potassium Oxonate
by Yung-Tsung Chau, Hsin-Yuan Chen, Po-Han Lin and Shih-Min Hsia
Mar. Drugs 2019, 17(6), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/md17060343 - 10 Jun 2019
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 5599
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of fucoidan (Fc) and fucoxanthin (Fx) on hyperuricemic rats. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to seven groups: a control group, a hyperuricemia (HUA) group, low- and high-dose Fx groups, a [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of fucoidan (Fc) and fucoxanthin (Fx) on hyperuricemic rats. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to seven groups: a control group, a hyperuricemia (HUA) group, low- and high-dose Fx groups, a Fc group, a combination Fc and Fx group, and a positive control group. Three weeks after the interventions, each group was given potassium oxonate (PO) and hypoxanthine (HX) to induce HUA in all groups except for the control group, and the rats were then sacrificed. Blood and urine were analyzed for biochemical properties, and differences in urine volume were determined. Livers and kidneys were collected to analyze xanthine oxidase (XO) activity and the expression of uric acid (UA) transporter-related proteins (GLUT9, ABCG2, OAT1, URAT1). The results show that HUA was successfully induced by PO/HX after 4 h of administration. The activity of XO was significantly reduced by a combination of Fc and Fx. In the combination group, both ABCG2 and OAT1 increased significantly, whereas GLUT9 and URAT1 decreased significantly. In summary, the combination of Fc and Fx can inhibit the activity of XO in the liver and regulate the expression of proteins related to UA transporter in the kidney to reduce the UA level in serum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods)
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