Issue-31 Vol.1I, Apr.-Jun.2025 pp.59-74 Paper ID-E31/7
Atreyee Mukherjee1, Dr. Jasmeet Singh2, Dr. Anil Kumar Singh3,Dr. Gireesh Babu4
1Mater’s Program of Science Education, Parul Institute of Applied
Science, Limda Lake Rd, Waghodia, Gujarat 391760. Mob+91 02668 260 300
Seaweeds are a natural, renewable source of key macronutrients and micronutrients, upon which extensive research interest has been directed over recent decades. Although their health value has been appreciated long enough in traditional Chinese medicine during the last several decades, only in recent decades have scientific investigations of these organisms developed immensely to affirm their health value. The conditions and procedure for extraction of seaweeds to produce value-added compounds are mostly dependent on the end product. Seaweed thermochemical conversion at elevated temperatures with various solvents (such as water) is designed to produce high-value products with enhanced utilization prospects; however, it is an industrial process with potentially adverse effects on the environment and on the functional characteristics of the products. Recently, different approaches and alternatives have been proposed to optimize the process and performance, as well as be less environmentally harmful. A biorefinery concept is used for addressing economic and environmental disadvantages, to allow less residual production near highly suggested zero waste system. The purpose of this work is to inform about the newly developed methods of seaweeds extractions and the possible use of the extracted components.
Keywords: Seaweeds,
, Sustainable technologies, Biorefinery, Food applications
(समुद्री शैवाल मुख्य मैक्रोन्यूट्रिएंट्स और माइक्रोन्यूट्रिएंट्स का एक प्राकृतिक, नवीकरणीय स्रोत हैं, जिन पर पिछले कुछ दशकों में व्यापक शोध किया गया है। हालांकि पारंपरिक चीनी चिकित्सा में इनके स्वास्थ्य संबंधी महत्व को लंबे समय से सराहा गया है, लेकिन पिछले कुछ दशकों में ही इन जीवों पर वैज्ञानिक जांच में रोग प्रतिरोधक क्षमता मे वृद्धि हुई है, जिससे इनके स्वास्थ्य मूल्य की पुष्टि हुई है। इस कार्य का उद्देश्य समुद्री शैवाल निष्कर्षण की नई विकसित विधियों और निष्कर्षित घटकों के संभावित उपयोग के बारे में जानकारी देना है।)
1.1 Overview
Bioactive compounds are low quantities of chemicals present in the biomass but which exhibit biological activity in the body to ensure good health. The majority of the bioactive compounds fall under the category of high-value products to be applied in food, feed, cosmetics, and the pharmaceutical sector.
Certain bioactive and other nutritional plant components may be referred to as biomass extractives, i.e., foreign material excluding water-insoluble cell wall components from the viewpoint of being in solubility in neutral organic solvent or water.
Marine macroalgae have a range of bioactive compounds which, owing to projected application in the field of pharmacy, industry, and nutrition, are of some interest.
1.2 The Role of Seaweeds in Food and Industry
Seaweeds are gaining more significance as they have a humongous role to be played in terms of nutrition and other things.
Seaweeds are nutritionally affluent with plenty of necessary macro and
micronutrients such as proteins, vitamins (vitamin B12 and vitamin C), and minerals such as iodine, calcium, and iron.
They bear their newly bioactive molecules such as polysaccharides, phenolics, and antioxidants which are credited with being behind their therapeutic effect on health as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial making them most sought-after functional foods and supplements. Seaweeds are used as masse in food industry as natural gelling agents, stabilizers, and thickeners due to such molecules as carrageenan, alginate, and agar. They are employed in medicine, cosmetics, and agriculture as organic growth stimulants and fertilizers.
Sustainable seaweed cultivation is environmentally friendly because they never need freshwater and land and are sources of food security and economic development and to stimulation of nature balance. Seaweeds in the majority of cases are a source of diet supplement as well as multi-dimensional industrial utilization.
1.3 Recent Trends in Seaweed Production
Seaweeds' world production has expanded enormously over the last two decades, and they have been publicized as food, medicine, and in every industry.
Macroalgae production grew more than three times from approximately 10 million tons to 30 million tons during the 2000-2016 period. The boom is largely synonymous with the widespread trend of seaweed culture and utilization in East and Southeast Asia, where over 291 species are utilized as food, feed, fertilizers, and industrial commodities. China and Indonesia are the dominant producers currently and command a high percent market share in global seaweed production.
Higher international demand for seaweeds is due to their good nutrition, Western palate taste, and application as green commodities to counteract international food shortages. Higher applications of seaweed products like hydrocolloids with applications in the food and cosmetics industry are also contributing further to trends in production. Seaweed farming is hence also going to rise even more, which corresponds to international sustainability and the green utilization of resources trend.
1.4 Chemical Composition
Seaweed chemical composition is also species and environment-controlled. Some of the most common seaweeds include:
• Polysaccharides: Material forming structure and storage of energy in varying proportions in varying seaweeds occurs as polysaccharides. Brown seaweed contains fucoidans and alginates, elvan contains red seaweed, and green seaweed contains agar.
• Proteins: Proteins also consist of seaweeds and are full of essential amino acids. The structure of the protein varies for the variety of seaweed since there is some part of the red seaweed whose protein structure is similar to normal protein material.
• Vitamins: Seaweeds contain some fat-soluble such as (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, B9, B12), and all are necessary for human health.
• Minerals: They have high minerals like iodine, calcium, potassium, and iron in very high concentration compared to land plants.
• Lipids: While generally low in lipids as an organism, the seaweeds consist of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that are nearly value of health human beings.
These molecules are the basis for functional characteristics and nutritional content of seaweeds and render them useful in an utterly enormous range of food, medicine, and cosmetics.
The process enhances the mass transfer and recovery of the target compound and thus yields higher extraction yields within shorter time compared to the conventional processes. PSE is applied to extract different analytes such as polysaccharides, phenolics, and amino acids. However, high pressure and temperature used result in equipment cost and safety concerns.
Fig 1: The image depicts a flowchart for a process involving initial treatment and extraction methods.
2.1 Classification of Seaweeds
are commonly grouped into two categories based on colour as well as on the structural attributes which they possess:
1. Brown Seaweeds (Phaeophyceae):
Brown seaweeds are identified differently from each other due to their brown pigment, for which they are responsible in essence using fucoxanthin pigment, secondary to chlorophyll a and c. Brown seaweeds are heat-loving in origin and belong to the Laminaria, Sargassum, and Fucus family. Brown seaweeds are polysaccharide algae and incorporate alginates, laminarins, and fucoidans whose role in industries is well established due to the series of products found in food thickening and gelation.
BROWN SEAWEED
2. Green Seaweeds (Chlorophyta):
Green seaweeds are green because of the dominance of chlorophyll a and b, which cover other pigments like carotenoids, and live in shallow water and are an indicator of some like Ulva and Caulerpa. Green seaweeds have proteins and polysaccharides like ulvan, which are of interest because of their thickening and gel properties in the food and drug
GREEN SEAWED
3.1 Fractionation Processes
Fractionation processes play a vital role in efficient recovery of bioactive compound from seaweeds. Fractionation processes commonly involve some sequential operations:
1.Raw Material Pre-treatment: The initial process might be drying, grinding, or chemical treatment for pre-treating the seaweed prior to extraction. Pre-treatment could allow target compound access by cell wall disintegration or alteration of the biomass physical properties.
3. Separation and Concentration: After extraction of the compounds, the extraction solvent and the desired compounds along with other compounds must be separated and concentrated. Evaporation, filtering, or centrifugation can be used to remove the solvent and other compounds.
3.2 Shortcomings of Current Extraction Methods
Current methods of extraction have some shortcomings in the sense that:
•High Energy Requirement: There is a lot of energy input during classical methods, hence they are unsustainable.
•Application of Solvents: Most extraction methods apply organic solvents, which impose environmental toxicity in addition to possible health threats.
•Extended Times of Extraction: Conventionally, an interval of hours to days passes prior to the attainment of maximum yield, a phenomenon that is not desirable industrially.
•Degradation of Compounds: Delicate bioactive compounds are subjected to degradation by harsh extraction conditions such as temperature and increased exposure.
• Waste Production: Huge amounts of waste are generated through most traditional methods of extraction, resulting in environmental issues concerning disposal and sustainability.
Fig 2: Ultrasound-assisted extraction of
carrageenan.
3.4 Traditional Methods of Extraction
Traditional methods of extraction are predominantly available in industry to extract bioactive compounds from seaweeds. They are
• Infusion: Immersion of seaweed in a solvent to extract soluble compounds.
• Percolation: Repeated flow of solvent continuously through the seaweed material for the extraction of compounds.
• Soxhlet Extraction: Recycling of the solvent a number of times to get maximum extraction efficiency.
• Maceration: Seaweed cutting and letting it soak in solvent for chemical extraction.
• Steam Distillation: Vaporization of volatile chemicals with the help of steam, which are then condensed to liquid.
These methods are mostly efficient but may turn out to be a less efficient or eco-friendly process available.
Solid-Liquid Extractions
Solid-liquid extraction is the movement of soluble contents from solid seaweed to a liquid solvent. The efficiency of the process is reliant on:
- Solvent Selection: The chemical character and polarity of the solvent are determinants in the efficiency of the extraction of individual compounds.
- Temperature and Time: High temperature may be utilized to increase extraction rates but will lead to degradation of labile compounds. Extraction time must be optimized for each and every situation.
- Physical State of Seaweed: Seaweed particle size and surface area of particles may affect mass transfer and extraction yield.
4. BIOPROCESS BIOMASS EXTRACTION PROJECTS –
CASE STUDIES
UNRAVEL Project
UNRAVEL (Unlocking the Potential of Biobased Value Chains) valorisation and sustainable extraction of bioactive compounds from various biomass sources such as trees and crop residues.
Aims: To unravel efficient processes of bioactive compounds extraction, such as betulin from a birch tree, for example. To design value chains for facilitating the utilization of biomass for food, cosmetics, and pharma.
• Methodology
Novel extraction techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) for achieving maximum energy efficiency and purity maximization to achieve maximum bioactive.
Increased sustainability through waste minimization and energy savings.
• Result:
• Maximum yield of betulin and other key compounds, which is evidence of feasibility in high-value production from low-value biomass.
Fractionation processes play a vital role in efficient recovery of bioactive compound from seaweeds. Fractionation processes commonly involve some sequential operations:
1.Raw Material Pre-treatment: The initial process might be drying, grinding, or chemical treatment for pre-treating the seaweed prior to extraction. Pre-treatment could allow target compound access by cell wall disintegration or alteration of the biomass physical properties.
3. Separation and Concentration: After extraction of the compounds, the extraction solvent and the desired compounds along with other compounds must be separated and concentrated. Evaporation, filtering, or centrifugation can be used to remove the solvent and other compounds.
3.2 Shortcomings of Current Extraction Methods
Current methods of extraction have some shortcomings in the sense that:
•High Energy Requirement: There is a lot of energy input during classical methods, hence they are unsustainable.
•Application of Solvents: Most extraction methods apply organic solvents, which impose environmental toxicity in addition to possible health threats.
•Extended Times of Extraction: Conventionally, an interval of hours to days passes prior to the attainment of maximum yield, a phenomenon that is not desirable industrially.
•Degradation of Compounds: Delicate bioactive compounds are subjected to degradation by harsh extraction conditions such as temperature and increased exposure.
• Waste Production: Huge amounts of waste are generated through most traditional methods of extraction, resulting in environmental issues concerning disposal and sustainability.
3.4 Traditional Methods of Extraction
Traditional methods of extraction are predominantly available in industry to extract bioactive compounds from seaweeds. They are
• Infusion: Immersion of seaweed in a solvent to extract soluble compounds.
• Percolation: Repeated flow of solvent continuously through the seaweed material for the extraction of compounds.
• Soxhlet Extraction: Recycling of the solvent a number of times to get maximum extraction efficiency.
• Maceration: Seaweed cutting and letting it soak in solvent for chemical extraction.
• Steam Distillation: Vaporization of volatile chemicals with the help of steam, which are then condensed to liquid.
These methods are mostly efficient but may turn out to be a less efficient or eco-friendly process available.
Solid-Liquid Extractions
Solid-liquid extraction is the movement of soluble contents from solid seaweed to a liquid solvent. The efficiency of the process is reliant on:
- Solvent Selection: The chemical character and polarity of the solvent are determinants in the efficiency of the extraction of individual compounds.
- Temperature and Time: High temperature may be utilized to increase extraction rates but will lead to degradation of labile compounds. Extraction time must be optimized for each and every situation.
- Physical State of Seaweed: Seaweed particle size and surface area of particles may affect mass transfer and extraction yield.
4. BIOPROCESS BIOMASS EXTRACTION PROJECTS –
CASE STUDIES
UNRAVEL Project
UNRAVEL (Unlocking the Potential of Biobased Value Chains) valorisation and sustainable extraction of bioactive compounds from various biomass sources such as trees and crop residues.
Aims: To unravel efficient processes of bioactive compounds extraction, such as betulin from a birch tree, for example. To design value chains for facilitating the utilization of biomass for food, cosmetics, and pharma.
• Methodology
Novel extraction techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) for achieving maximum energy efficiency and purity maximization to achieve maximum bioactive.
Increased sustainability through waste minimization and energy savings.
• Result:
• Maximum yield of betulin and other key compounds, which is evidence of feasibility in high-value production from low-value biomass.
1. SteamBioAfrica Project:
Overview: SteamBioAfrica project is to optimize the utilization of the biomass resources of Africa via the utilization of new and novel extraction technologies.
Objectives
• Integrated installation of improved and upgraded steam explosion technology for recovery of bioactive contents from diverse biomass sources of forest tree plantations and agricultural residues.
• Enhance bioconversion of local biomass to bioproducts and bioenergy.
Methodology:
• Employed steam explosion as a pretreatment process to render cellulose and hemicellulose available for final recovery of bioactive.
• Altered based on recovery of phenolic, flavonoid, and other bioactive contents.
Results
• Enhanced efficiency of extraction and yield of required compounds, which will result in the creation of sustainable bioproducts and bioenergy solutions for Africa.
3. Bioactive Profiling of Tropical Trees
Summary: Project work is tropical tree species bioactive compound bioactive profiling and extraction for potential use and therapeutic use preserved for the purpose of collecting information of tropical tree bioactive compounds and determining their bioactivity.
To develop extraction techniques which will have high without loss of integrity of bioactive compounds.
Methodology:
• Employed different extraction methods such as solvent extraction, cold pressing, and enzymatic extraction to isolate bioactive.
• Performed bioactivity tests to ascertain the health impact of the isolated compound.
Results:
• Potential bioactive compounds like flavonoids, tannins, and terpenes that were discovered to be promising in nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics were purified.
Figure 6: Blank Chromatographic Analysis, it is a blank chromatographic analysis which is unknown. It was scanned with a UV-Vis spectrometer and data was shown in three ways: Chromatogram,3D Chromatogram, Spectra.
4.1 Alternative Extraction Techniques
In order to reduce the reliance on traditional methods, a range of alternative methods have been devised:
1. Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE)
MAE uses microwave radiation to heat the seaweed matrix very quickly. Action mechanism of the process is localized heating due to friction of molecules, which may rupture the cell walls and further increase the expulsion of bioactive metabolites. MAE is quick (with a tendency to recover compounds within a few minutes) and economical, using a smaller amount of solvent compared to conventional techniques. It could be inappropriate for thermolabile compounds that tend to degrade at elevated temperatures.
2. Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction:
They use high-frequency ultrasonic waves to create cavitation bubbles in the extraction solvent. Bubble implosion creates micro-turbulence responsible for deeper solvent penetration and mass transfer, increasing the yield of extraction. UAE is comparatively faster and energy-requiring than conventional methods. UAE has been proved to efficiently extract phenolics, proteins, and polysaccharides from all types of seaweed.
3. Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE)
EAE makes use of certain enzymes in decomposing the seaweed cell walls for liberating the bioactive components. EAE is green technology in nature because it refrains from making use of poisonous solvents and chemicals. EAE may ensure that extracts with their bioactivity will remain of good quality and thus make an application viable for the purpose of use in foods, cosmetics, and pharmacy.
4.Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE)
SFE employs a supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) solvent, and this has special characteristics to penetrate solid matrices like a gas but to dissolve substances like a liquid. The process is effective in the separation of non-polar compounds and is also a green process as CO2, being recyclable, can be reused. Nevertheless, equipment and operation cost may be a setback to its widespread use.
5. Pressurized Solvent Extraction (PSE)
PSE is where the solvent is heated above its boiling point but maintained in the liquid state under high pressure.
5. SEAWEED FOOD APPLICATIONS
-Historical Context of Seaweed Consumption
• Seaweed has been utilized by people for hundreds of years in different societies globally.
•It has been used since time immemorial in the East Asian region, specifically in Japan, Korea, and China.
•Seaweed was used in traditional foods and diets, which shows just how common it was in coastal regions.
•Seaweed was a major source of nutrients and necessary nutrients during the past.
-Technological and Nutritional Applications
•Seaweed is being used more and more for its technological and nutritional uses in contemporary food systems.
•Seaweed extracts and bioactive have a number of properties, including:
•Antioxidant activity
•Anti-inflammatory properties
•Antimicrobial activity
•Potential health effects on gut health, cardiovascular health, etc.
•The properties have made it useful for use in food products as:
•Natural colourants and flavourings
•Texturizers
•Stabilizers
•Functional ingredients with nutritional value and health effects.
6. CONCLUSION
The process of extraction should take into account recovery yield ,Factors such as temperature, pH, duration, volume and composition of the solvent, along with the procedure method.
The conventional process applied for treatment of seaweed hydrocolloid is solvent extraction, where at high temperature and longer extraction time the polysaccharides degrade. Green extraction processes could be applied in conjunction with hydrocolloid extraction, where they are effective, solvent-saving, and with shorter extraction time. The process is capable of recovering seaweed bioactive Compounds effectively and successfully with optimal utilization.
7.ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Author wishes to convey their gratitude. sincere thanks to the Parul Institute of Applied Sciences for providing the sufficient infrastructure, research facility, and intellectual input required, which have added worth to the proper fulfilment of this review. Proximity of such infrastructural facilities has been found to be the major cause of enabling proper and sufficient research work on the processes of seaweed extraction.
This follow-up research is based on collective effort and research work by researchers in this field of work, and I particularly appreciate their pioneer efforts that laid solid foundations for the follow-up research. Their profound research and pioneer efforts have presented us with luscious data worth its weight that had bearing on the scope of research.
I want to express my gratitude to my colleagues as well. fellow researchers, and scholars whose insightful discussions, reflective comments, and intellectual debates added depth, richness, and complexity to this research. Their group scholarship and culture of wisdom as a whole have been a precious gem in refining big ideas and broadening the book's analytical horizon.
In addition I would want to express my gratitude to my academic mentors and supervisors for their invaluable guidance and tireless efforts that have taken my scientific research approach to new levels. Their passion and dedication towards excellence have been a source of inspiration throughout.
Lastly, I would also appreciate thanking friends and relatives for support, encouragement, and perseverance throughout the study duration. Their absolute faith in me has been an encouraging warm hug, eliciting emotional and ethical motivation throughout the learning process.
It is the result of collaborative work of many, and I am highly indebted to all who have helped shape it.
8. REFRENCES
1.Ale, M. T., & Meyer, A. S. (2013). Fucoidans from brown seaweeds: An update on structures, extraction techniques and use of enzymes as tools for structural elucidation. Rsc Advances, 3(22), 8131-8141.
2. Ale, M. T., Mikkelsen, J. D., & Meyer, A. S. (2011). Important determinants for fucoidan bioactivity: A critical review of structure-function relations and extraction methods for fucose-containing sulphated polysaccharides from brown seaweeds. Marine drugs, 9(10), 2106-2130.
3.Arioli, T., Mattner, S. W., & Winberg, P. C. (2015). Applications of seaweed extracts in Australian agriculture: past, present and future. Journal of applied phycology, 27, 2007-2015.
4.Benslima, A., Sellimi, S., Hamdi, M., Nasri, R., Jridi, M., Cot, D., ... & Zouari, N. (2021). The brown seaweed Cystoseira schiffneri as a source of sodium alginate: Chemical and structural characterization, and antioxidant activities. Food Bioscience, 40, 100873.
5.Bertagnolli, C., Da Silva, M. G. C., & Guibal, E. (2014). Chromium biosorption using the residue of alginate extraction from Sargassum filipendula. Chemical Engineering Journal, 237, 362-371.
6.Dulanlebit, Y. H., & Hernani, H. (2023). Overview of extraction methods for extracting seaweed and its applications. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 9(2), 817-824.
7.Chee, S. Y., Wong, P. K., & Wong, C. L. (2011). Extraction and characterisation of alginate from brown seaweeds (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) collected from Port Dickson, Peninsular Malaysia. Journal of applied phycology, 23, 191-196.
8.Chen, Z., Gu, G., Li, S., Wang, C., & Zhu, R. (2018). The effect of seaweed glue in the separation of copper– molybdenum sulphide ore by flotation. Minerals, 8(2), 41.
9. Din, S. S., Chew, K. W., Chang, Y. K., Show, P. L., Phang, S. M., & Juan, J. C. (2019). Extraction of agar from Eucheuma cottonii and Gelidium amansii seaweeds with sonication pretreatment using autoclaving method. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 37(3), 871-880.
10. Godlewska, K., Michalak, I., Tuhy, Ł., & Chojnacka, K. (2016). Plant growth biostimulants based on different methods of seaweed extraction with water. BioMed research international, 2016(1), 5973760.
11. Godlewska, K., Michalak, I., Tuhy, Ł., & Chojnacka, K. (2017). The influence of pH of extracting water on the composition of seaweed extracts and their beneficial properties on Lepidium sativum. BioMed research international, 2017(1), 7248634.
12. Hernández-Herrera, R. M., Santacruz-Ruvalcaba, F., Ruiz-López, M. A., Norrie, J., & Hernández-Carmona, G. (2014). Effect of liquid seaweed extracts on growth of tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Journal of applied phycology, 26, 619-628.
13. Hernández-Herrera, R. M., Santacruz-Ruvalcaba, F., Zañudo-Hernández, J., & Hernández-Carmona, G. (2016). Activity of seaweed extracts and polysaccharide-enriched extracts from Ulva lactuca and Padina gymnospora as growth promoters of tomato and mung bean plants. Journal of applied phycology, 28, 2549-2560.
14. Cotas, J., Leandro, A., Monteiro, P., Pacheco, D., Figueirinha, A., Gonçalves, A. M., ... & Pereira, L. (2020). Seaweed phenolics: From extraction to applications. Marine drugs, 18(8), 384.
Posts
.jpg)
0 Comments