LI Hongyan, LI Xiao, WANG Ying, LIU Tianhong, JI Lei, SUN Yuanqin, JIANG Xiaodong
In order to evaluate the nutritional value of three kinds of macroalgae (Macrocystis pyrifera, Durvillaea potatorum and Ecklonia radiata) and to further explore their potential utilization, the contents of basic nutrients, amino acids, fatty acids, inorganic elements, alginate, mannitol and iodine of the three kinds of brown algae were determined, and their nutritional value was evaluated. The results showed that all these three algae contained high carbohydrate and low fat, and the soluble dietary fiber in D. potatorum and the insoluble dietary fiber of E. radiata were 34.53% and 47.64%, respectively. Besides, all 18 kinds of amino acids were found in these algae, including eight kinds of essential amino acids, and the first limiting amino acid was Trp. The amino acid composition of M. pyrifera and E. radiata was relatively balanced and reasonable. The amino acid score and EAAI of D. potatorum were low, and the amino acid composition was relatively unbalanced. Moreover, saturated fatty acids account for a higher proportion of total fatty acids. They were all rich in Na, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, I, alginate and mannitol, among which the content of Ca in E. radiata was up to 37.99 mg/g and alginate in D. potatorum was up to 52.20%. In conclusion, M. pyrifera, D. potatorum and E. radiata have great potential in seaweed chemical industry and functional food development.