Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Feb 19;25(4):930.
doi: 10.3390/molecules25040930.

Extraction and Modification of Macroalgal Polysaccharides for Current and Next-Generation Applications

Madeleine Jönsson  1 , Leila Allahgholi  1 , Roya R R Sardari  1 , Guðmundur O Hreggviðsson  2   3 , Eva Nordberg Karlsson  1
Affiliations
Review

Extraction and Modification of Macroalgal Polysaccharides for Current and Next-Generation Applications

Madeleine Jönsson et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Marine macroalgal (seaweed) polysaccharides are highly promising for next-generation applications in several industries. However, despite the reported comprehensive potential of these polysaccharides, commercial products are scarce on the market. Seaweed cultivations are increasing in number and production quantity, owing to an elevated global trend of utilization interest in seaweed. The extraction of polysaccharides from seaweed generally generates low yields, but novel methods are being developed to facilitate and improve the extraction processes. Current areas of applications for seaweed polysaccharides mainly take advantage of the physicochemical properties of certain polysaccharides, such as gelling, thickening and emulsifying. However, many of the numerous bioactivities reported are still only at research level and lack clinical evidence for commercialization. It has been suggested the construction of smaller units may generate better defined molecules that are more suitable for biomedical applications. Enzymatic modification is a promising tool for the generation of more defined, targeted biomolecules. This review covers; structural differences between the most predominant marine algal polysaccharides, extraction processes, modification alternatives, as well as a summary of current and potential next-generation application areas.

Keywords: application; bioactivity; composition; enzymatic modification; extraction; seaweed; structure.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Basic flow chart of extraction of polysaccharides from brown macroalgae.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Conventional extraction method of refined carrageenan (RC) and semi-refined carrageenan (SRC) (a). Alkaline method for agar extraction [95] (b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chapman V.J., Chapman D.J. Seaweeds and their Uses. 3rd ed. Chapman and Hall Ltd.; London, UK: 1980. - DOI
    1. FAO . FAO yearbook. Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics 2017. FAO; Rome, Italy: 2019.
    1. Campbell I., Macleod A., Sahlmann C., Neves L., Funderud J., Øverland M., Hughes A.D., Stanley M. The Environmental Risks Associated With the Development of Seaweed Farming in Europe—Prioritizing Key Knowledge Gaps. Front. Mar. Sci. 2019;6 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00107. - DOI
    1. FAO . The Global Status of Seaweed Production, Trade and Utilization. Volume 124. Globefish Research Programme; Rome, Italy: 2018. p. 120.
    1. Jung K.A., Lim S.-R., Kim Y., Park J.M. Potentials of macroalgae as feedstocks for biorefinery. Bioresour. Technol. 2013;135:182–190. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.10.025. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources