Seaweed extracts to promote wellness
Accumulating evidence suggests that modern diet and city environments damage biological macromolecules and may lead to a variety of degenerative disorders. Epidemiologic studies have shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, red wine and cocoa protects against such damage. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of these foods have been attributed to their high content of polyphenols. Although polyphenols from land plants are widely used as functional food ingredients and food supplements, seaweed sources have not been exploited. The main objective of the EU-funded 'Seaweed derived anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants' (SWAFAX) project was to explore methods for extracting polyphenols from the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum. The goal was to derive bioactive compounds from seaweeds for application in food and health and wellness products. Optimisation of the extraction methods led to a food-grade SPE containing a mixture of different molecular weight polyphenols. When tested on lymphocytes in vitro, this SPE exhibited substantial bioactivity and protected cells against DNA damage. It also demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity by reducing pro-inflammatory while increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines. A human intervention study was conducted which entailed the consumption of one SPE by healthy volunteers. After an 8-week period, participants showed reduced levels of oxidants in their blood plasma and lower levels of DNA damage. Despite the inter-individual variation in absorption and metabolism of the polyphenols, there was an overall beneficial effect which could be translated into preventive measures against many degenerative diseases. Exploitation of the SWAFAX SPE project could find a number of commercial applications with significant financial benefit for the implicated SMEs. Strong international interest was expressed by various other companies engaged in the personal care, health supplements and food and beverage markets.
Keywords
Seaweed, polyphenol, DNA damage, antioxidant activity
