Bioactive Seaweeds for Food Applications

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2019) | Viewed by 14947

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidade de Vigo (Campus Ourense), Science Faculty, As Lagoas, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Interests: food rheology; functional foodstuff; gluten-free matrices; food product innovation with food by-products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas (CINBIO), Departamento de Enxeñería Química, Universidade de Vigo (Campus Ourense), Edificio Politécnico, As Lagoas, 32004 Ourense, Spain
Interests: bioactive compounds; macroalgae; vegetal biomass; environmentally-friendly extraction technologies; membranes; waste valorisation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovative food products with health-promoting components (antioxidants, fibre, and/or minerals), the optimisation of formulations, and the characterisation of final products in terms of potential functional features, bioavailability, technological aptitude, and sensory acceptance have gained growing interest in the past few years. Seaweeds represent a novel source of important natural compounds for human nutrition, such as phenolic compounds, fatty acids, proteins, among others, that can enhance the nutritional profile of food products. Moreover, seaweeds have also been identified as a natural source of molecules with biological activities (e.g., antitumor and antimicrobial). A challenge for the coming years is to introduce seaweeds or their high-value extracts as additives in traditional and innovative food matrices, optimising processing conditions and doses of the compounds.

In this Special Issue, we invite you to submit original research papers and review articles on the recovery of bioactive compounds from seaweeds and their incorporation as high-value additives in functional food applications.

Dr. M. D. Torres
Prof. Dr. Herminia Domínguez
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • macroalgae
  • byproduct valorisation
  • bioactive compounds
  • antioxidants
  • texture
  • functional food
  • target population groups

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3080 KiB  
Article
Anticancer Activities of Meroterpenoids Isolated from the Brown Alga Cystoseira usneoides against the Human Colon Cancer Cells HT-29
by Hanaa Zbakh, Eva Zubía, Carolina De Los Reyes, José M. Calderón-Montaño and Virginia Motilva
Foods 2020, 9(3), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9030300 - 6 Mar 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4284
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancers and a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The current treatment for CRC mainly involves surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, due to the side effects and the emergence of drug resistance, [...] Read more.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of cancers and a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The current treatment for CRC mainly involves surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, due to the side effects and the emergence of drug resistance, the search for new anticancer agents, pharmacologically safe and effective, is needed. In the present study, we have investigated the anticancer effects of eight algal meroterpenoids (AMTs, 1-8) isolated from the brown seaweed Cystoseira usneoides and their underlying mechanisms of action using HT-29, a highly metastatic human colon cancer cell line. All the tested meroterpenoids inhibited the growth of HT-29 malignant cells and were less toxic towards non-cancer colon cells, with the AMTs 1 and 5 exhibiting selectivity indexes of 5.26 and 5.23, respectively. Treatment of HT-29 cells with the AMTs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 induced cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase and, in some instances, apoptosis (compounds 2, 3, and 5). Compounds 1-8 also exhibited significant inhibitory effects on the migration and/or invasion of colon cancer cells. Mechanistic analysis demonstrated that the AMTs 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8 reduced phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and the AMTs 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 decreased phosphorylation of c-JUN N-terminal kinase (JNK). Moreover, the AMTs 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8 inhibited phosphorylation levels of protein kinase B (AKT) in colon carcinoma cells. These results provide new insights into the mechanisms and functions of the meroterpenoids of C. usneoides, which exhibit an anticancer effect on HT-29 colon cancer cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via the downregulation of ERK/JNK/AKT signaling pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Seaweeds for Food Applications)
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12 pages, 1588 KiB  
Article
Feasibility of Using Seaweed (Gracilaria coronopifolia) Synbiotic as a Bioactive Material for Intestinal Health
by Po-Hsien Li, Wen-Chien Lu, Yung-Jia Chan, Yu-Ping Zhao, Xiao-Bao Nie, Chang-Xing Jiang and Yu-Xiang Ji
Foods 2019, 8(12), 623; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8120623 - 27 Nov 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3408
Abstract
The market contains only limited health care products that combine prebiotics and probiotics. In this study, we developed a seaweed-based Gracilaria coronopifolia synbiotic and verified the efficacy by small intestinal cells (Caco-2). We also developed a functional material that promotes intestinal health and [...] Read more.
The market contains only limited health care products that combine prebiotics and probiotics. In this study, we developed a seaweed-based Gracilaria coronopifolia synbiotic and verified the efficacy by small intestinal cells (Caco-2). We also developed a functional material that promotes intestinal health and prevents intestinal inflammation. G. coronopifolia was used as a red seaweed prebiotic, and Bifidobacterium bifidums, B. longum subsp. infantis, B. longum subsp. longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus were mixed for the seaweed’s synbiotics. G. coronopifolia synbiotics were nontoxic to Caco-2 cells, and the survival rate was 101% to 117% for a multiplicative effect on cell survival. After cells were induced by H2O2, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased to 151.5%, but after G. coronopifolia synbiotic treatment, decreased to a range between 101.8% and 109.6%. After cells were induced by tumor necrosis factor α, the ROS levels increased to 124.5%, but decreased to 57.7% with G. coronopifolia symbiotic treatment. G. coronopifolia synbiotics could effectively inhibit the production of ROS intestinal cells under oxidative stress (induced by H2O2 and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)), which can reduce the damage of cells under oxidative stress. Functioning of intestinal cells could be improved by inhibiting the production of inflammatory factor substances (interleukin 8) with G. coronopifolia symbiotic treatment. Also, gastrointestinal diseases may be retarded by a synbiotic developed from G. coronopifolia to promote intestinal health and prevent intestinal inflammation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Seaweeds for Food Applications)
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18 pages, 2657 KiB  
Article
Edible Brown Seaweed in Gluten-Free Pasta: Technological and Nutritional Evaluation
by Patrícia Fradinho, Anabela Raymundo, Isabel Sousa, Herminia Domínguez and María Dolores Torres
Foods 2019, 8(12), 622; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8120622 - 27 Nov 2019
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 6346
Abstract
Seaweed is a novel source of important nutritional compounds with interesting biological activities that could be processed into added-value products, namely gluten-free foods. In this study, two previously developed products obtained from Laminaria ochroleuca processing (liquid extract and a purée-like mixture) were incorporated [...] Read more.
Seaweed is a novel source of important nutritional compounds with interesting biological activities that could be processed into added-value products, namely gluten-free foods. In this study, two previously developed products obtained from Laminaria ochroleuca processing (liquid extract and a purée-like mixture) were incorporated in gluten-free (GF) pasta in order to develop functional products especially designed for the celiac population. The raw and cooked pastas were characterized in terms of their cooking quality parameters, nutritional composition, texture and rheological properties, and antioxidant activity. It was found that the developed GF pastas had similar mechanical and texture characteristics to the control. Both supplemented GF pastas presented a significantly (p < 0.05) higher fibre and mineral content than the control pasta. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Seaweeds for Food Applications)
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