Analysis of the Functional Properties of Seaweed Proteins

Introduction

Seaweeds are known to be rich in minerals and certain vitamins. Still, they are also a rich source of protein and contain several specific enzymes, glycoproteins, cell wall attachment proteins, red algal bile proteins, lectins, peptides, or mycotoxin-like amino acids. The protein composition and primary sequence of protein amino acids of seaweeds differ from terrestrial proteins and may be more suitable for human consumption than other plant protein sources. In addition, this large number of molecules has significant antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, or anti-tumor properties. Seaweed protein extraction and analysis have been extensively studied, but content determination involves expensive, time-consuming, and energy-intensive laboratory-based fractionation techniques. In addition, little research has been done on the functional properties of seaweed protein extracts.

Fig. 1. Summary of the mechanism of action of several reported seaweed proteins and seaweed bioactive peptides. (Echave J, et al., 2022)

Customized Solutions

Not only can we efficiently extract proteins, amino acids, and bioactive peptides from seaweeds, but we are also interested in the functional properties of these extracts. Lifeasible is dedicated to evaluating the functional properties of different seaweed protein extracts by using various strategies to help you analyse their potential future use in the food industry.

• Assessment of amino acids, colour, and pH of seaweed protein extracts.
• Determination of water- (WHC) and oil-holding capacity (OHC), solubility, foaming, and emulsification properties.
• Tris-Tricine SDS-PAGE analysis of seaweed proteins as the main components of the extracts.

The bioactive peptides in seaweed have a variety of functional properties beneficial to human health, depending on their structural properties. We also offer a comprehensive service to assess the functional properties of these bioactive peptides.

(ⅰ) Firstly, depending on the specificity of the protein, we use different enzymes to hydrolyze the protein into peptides with different amino acid sequences and peptide lengths.

(ⅱ) The following functional properties of the bioactive peptides are determined by various methods.

• Antioxidant.
• Antibacterial.
• Metal chelating.
• Anti-cancer.
• Anti-hypertensive.
• Anticoagulant.
• Anti-diabetic.
• Others.

Advantages of Our Solutions

• Comprehensive service to evaluate the functional properties of algal proteins and bioactive peptides.
• Potential applications for developing these proteins and derived peptides.
• Simple experimental operation, delivering results at low cost.
• Connect upstream and downstream experiments, one-stop response.

Lifeasible can quickly help you evaluate the functional properties of different seaweed protein extracts and bioactive peptides. If you are interested in our solutions for the analysis of the functional properties of seaweed proteins, please contact us directly.