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Marine Natural Products in Food Chemistry

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 5401

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Polytechnic of Leiria, Peniche, Portugal
Interests: chemistry; extraction; food; marine resources; valorization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Polytechnic University of Leiria, 2520-630 Peniche, Portugal
Interests: nutraceuticals; functional foods; foods formulation; antioxidant activity; health benefits
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ocean is home to a plethora of organisms full of natural products with important biological activities. Due to these properties, marine natural products are gaining increasing importance among the scientific community. On the other side, functional foods and natural health products are getting considerable attention from consumers, as their ingestion can provide various nutritional/health benefits. Therefore, the enrichment of food products with marine functional ingredients is a research field with great potential. In this context, the main aim of this Special Issue is to provide an overview on the recent advances in the extraction, purification, characterization and application of marine compounds in food.

Dr. Sónia Barroso
Dr. Joaquina Pinheiro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • marine resources
  • natural products
  • bioactive compounds
  • food chemistry
  • functional foods

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2437 KiB  
Article
Exploring Bioactivities and Peptide Content of Body Mucus from the Lusitanian Toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus
by Marta Fernandez Cunha, Ezequiel R. Coscueta, María Emilia Brassesco, Rita Marques, José Neto, Frederico Almada, David Gonçalves and Manuela Pintado
Molecules 2023, 28(18), 6458; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28186458 - 06 Sep 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1762
Abstract
Identifying bioactive molecules from marine organisms is still vastly understudied. Fish remain an untapped source of bioactive molecules, even when considering species whose toxicity to other fish species has been noticed before. We assessed potential applications of crude body mucus of the Lusitanian [...] Read more.
Identifying bioactive molecules from marine organisms is still vastly understudied. Fish remain an untapped source of bioactive molecules, even when considering species whose toxicity to other fish species has been noticed before. We assessed potential applications of crude body mucus of the Lusitanian toadfish (Halobratachus didactylus) and characterized its peptide fraction composition. Mucus samples from three individuals (two wild and one captive) revealed potential antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antimicrobial activities. For antioxidant activity, the best results of 2371 ± 97 µmol Trolox Equivalent/g protein for ORAC and 154 ± 6 µmol Trolox Equivalent/g protein for ABTS were obtained. For antihypertensive activity, the relevant inhibitory activity of ACE resulted in IC50 of 60 ± 7 µg protein/mL. Antimicrobial activity was also identified against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. The peptide profile of the crude body mucus was obtained through size exclusion chromatography, with a conspicuous peak at ca. 800 Da. LC-MS/MS allowed the detection of the most probable peptide sequences of this dominant peptide. This is the first study where the bioactive potential of mucus from the Lusitanian toadfish is demonstrated. Peptides with such properties can be applied in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Products in Food Chemistry)
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15 pages, 6669 KiB  
Article
The Experimental Development of Emulsions Enriched and Stabilized by Recovering Matter from Spirulina Biomass: Valorization of Residue into a Sustainable Protein Source
by Anna Rafaela Cavalcante Braga, Maria Cristiana Nunes and Anabela Raymundo
Molecules 2023, 28(17), 6179; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28176179 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1248
Abstract
Spirulina consists of a cluster of green-colored cyanobacteria; it is commonly consumed as a food or food supplement rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, predominantly C-phycocyanin (C-PC), which is related to anti-inflammatory action and anticancer potential when consumed frequently. After C-PC extraction, [...] Read more.
Spirulina consists of a cluster of green-colored cyanobacteria; it is commonly consumed as a food or food supplement rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity, predominantly C-phycocyanin (C-PC), which is related to anti-inflammatory action and anticancer potential when consumed frequently. After C-PC extraction, the Spirulina residual biomass (RB) is rich in proteins and fatty acids with the potential for developing food products, which is interesting from the circular economy perspective. The present work aimed to develop a vegan oil-in-water emulsion containing different contents of Spirulina RB, obtaining a product aligned with current food trends. Emulsions with 3.0% (w/w) of proteins were prepared with different chickpea and Spirulina RB ratios. Emulsifying properties were evaluated regarding texture and rheological properties, color, antioxidant activity, and droplet size distribution. The results showed that it was possible to formulate stable protein-rich emulsions using recovering matter rich in protein from Spirulina as an innovative food ingredient. All the concentrations used of the RB promoted the formulation of emulsions presenting interesting rheological parameters compared with a more traditional protein source such as chickpea. The emulsions were also a source of antioxidant compounds and maintained the color for at least 30 days after production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Products in Food Chemistry)
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19 pages, 2071 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Potential of Five Algae Cultivated in Fully Controlled Closed Systems
by Paulo Nova, Ana Pimenta-Martins, Élia Maricato, Cláudia Nunes, Helena Abreu, Manuel A. Coimbra, Ana Cristina Freitas and Ana Maria Gomes
Molecules 2023, 28(12), 4588; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28124588 - 06 Jun 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1760
Abstract
In this study, the chemical composition and antioxidant profile of five edible macroalgae, Fucus vesiculosus, Palmaria palmata, Porphyra dioica, Ulva rigida, and Gracilaria gracilis, cultivated in fully controlled closed systems, were determined. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat contents ranged [...] Read more.
In this study, the chemical composition and antioxidant profile of five edible macroalgae, Fucus vesiculosus, Palmaria palmata, Porphyra dioica, Ulva rigida, and Gracilaria gracilis, cultivated in fully controlled closed systems, were determined. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat contents ranged between 12.4% and 41.8%, 27.6% and 42.0%, and 0.1% and 3.4%, respectively. The tested seaweeds presented considerable amounts of Ca, Mg, K, Mn, and Fe, which reinforce their favorable nutritional profile. Regarding their polysaccharide composition, Gracilaria gracilis and Porphyra dioica were rich in sugars common to agar-producing red algae, and Fucus vesiculosus was composed mainly of uronic acids, mannose, and fucose, characteristic of alginate and fucoidans, whereas rhamnose and uronic acid, characteristic of ulvans, predominated in Ulva rigida. Comparatively, the brown F. vesiculosus clearly stood out, presenting a high polysaccharide content rich in fucoidans, and higher total phenolic content and antioxidant scavenging activity, determined by DPPH and ABTS. The remarkable potential of these marine macroalgae makes them excellent ingredients for a wide range of health, food, and industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Natural Products in Food Chemistry)
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