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Aquaculture Production of the Brown Seaweeds Laminaria digitata and Macrocystis pyrifera: Applications in Food and Pharmaceuticals
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2021-02-28
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Purcell-Meyerink D, Packer MA, Wheeler TT, et al. Aquaculture Production of the Brown Seaweeds Laminaria digitata and Macrocystis pyrifera: Applications in Food and Pharmaceuticals. Molecules 2021;26(5):1306. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26051306
Abstract
Seaweeds have a long history of use as food, as flavouring agents, and find use in traditional
folk medicine. Seaweed products range from food, feed, and dietary supplements to pharmaceuticals,
and from bioenergy intermediates to materials. At present, 98% of the seaweed required by the
seaweed industry is provided by five genera and only ten species. The two brown kelp seaweeds
Laminaria digitata, a native Irish species, and Macrocystis pyrifera, a native New Zealand species, are not
included in these eleven species, although they have been used as dietary supplements and as animal
and fish feed. The properties associated with the polysaccharides and proteins from these two species
have resulted in increased interest in them, enabling their use as functional foods. Improvements
and optimisations in aquaculture methods and bioproduct extractions are essential to realise the
commercial potential of these seaweeds. Recent advances in optimising these processes are outlined
in this review, as well as potential future applications of L. digitata and, to a greater extent, M. pyrifera
which, to date, has been predominately only wild-harvested. These include bio-refinery processing
to produce ingredients for nutricosmetics, functional foods, cosmeceuticals, and bioplastics. Areas
that currently limit the commercial potential of these two species are highlighted