Content of pigments and antioxidant activity of Adriatic Sea macroalgae as affected by ultrasound-assisted extraction
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The aim of the research was to examine the influence of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions (solvent: 96 % ethanol and 80 % acetone; temperature 30 and 50 °C; time 10, 20, 30 min) on the yield of pigments and the antioxidant activity of the brown algae Halopteris sco-paria and Sargassum hornschuchii and the red alga Corallina elongata from the Adriatic Sea. The highest total pigment content was achieved using either solvent in Halopteris scoparia (at 50 °C) and Sargassum hornschuchii (at 30 °C), regardless of the solvent used, while 96% EtOH was more efficient for Corallina elongata (at 50 °C). The highest antioxidant activity deter-mined by DPPH method in all extracts was achieved at 50 °C in all three algal species using 96% ethanol as a solvent for Sargassum hornschuchii and using 80% acetone for Halopteris scoparia (at any extraction time) and Corallina elongata (30 min). At optimal parameters, the highest content of pigments was determined in the extract of the brown alga Halopteris scoparia which also showed the highest radical scavenging ability. Thirteen pigments were identified and quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), six of which were identified as chlorophylls and seven as carotenoids. A high correlation was found between antioxidant activity and the presence of total carotenoids and chlorophyll a and b.
Institutions: University of Zadar, University of Dubrovnik
Language: English
Subfield: Aquatic Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: European Commission
OpenAlex ID: W7129014920