Mineral, Fatty Acid and Dietary Fiber Compositions in Several Indonesian Seaweeds

Abstract

The aim of the research was to study the distribution and profile of nutrient and non-nutrient compounds (i.e. mineral, fatty acid and dietary fiber) in nine species of Indonesian seaweeds (green, brown and red algae). The mineral contents were dominated by calcium, potassium, and sodium. Palmitic acid was the main fatty acid found in all of Indonesian seaweed samples, followed by stearic, oleic, and linolenic acids. The highest concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid was found in red alga Kappaphycus alvarezii (8.09 %), while the brown alga Sargassum polycystum contained the highest percentage of arachidonic acid (14.43 %). The contents of total, insoluble and soluble dietary fibers of the algae were 14.7 - 69.3, 14.3 - 64.1, and 0.4 - 10.7 (g/100 g dry weight), respectively. Red alga K. alvarezii had the highest content of total and soluble dietary fibers, whereas the highest content of insoluble dietary fiber was found in green alga Ulva reticulata.