Seaweed-based natural ingredients: Stability of phlorotannins during extraction, storage, passage through the gastrointestinal tract and potential incorporation into functional foods

Abstract: 

 

Adding value to seaweed by extracting their different bioactive compounds and incorporating them into foods represent an interesting and strategic approach to diversify the functional foods offer. However, once harvested, fresh seaweed must overcome a sequence of crucial steps to confer their biological activity. Pre-processing operations and extraction processes, as well as long-term storage, play important roles in improving or decreasing the phlorotannins content. In their way to the gut (biological target), phlorotannins are exposed to the human gastrointestinal tract (GIT), where the physiological pH and digestive enzymes can significantly affect the phlorotannins’ stability and thus, alter their biological activity. Besides, the subsequent incorporation into foodstuffs could be limited due to sensory issues, as tannins have been associated with astringency and bitter taste, and thus effective phlorotannins doses may negatively affect the sensory attributes of foods. These drawbacks expose the need of applying smart strategies to develop a final product providing the necessary protective mechanisms to maintain the active molecular form of phlorotannins up to the consumption time, also controlling their release upon arrival to the gut. In this context, the impact of these technological processes (from pre-processing to the passage through the GIT) on phlorotannins stability, as well as the innovative developed approaches to overcome these issues will be deeply discussed in this review. Besides, recent findings related to the phlorotannins’ health benefits will be pointed out. Special attention on the potential incorporation of phlorotannins into functional foods will be also put it on.

Author(s): 
Lucia Cassani
Andrea Gomez-Zavaglia
Cecilia Jimenez-Lopez
Catarina Lourenço-Lopes
Miguel A. Prieto
Jesus Simal-Gandara
Keywords: 
Health-related compounds
Renewable resources
Bioavailability
Extraction and stabilization approaches
Natural plant-derived ingredients
Article Source: 
Food Research International Volume 137, November 2020, 109676
Category: 
Ecological Services
Seaweed composition
Uses of Seaweeds: Fuel or Energy