Fatty acid composition and nutraceutical perspectives of brown seaweeds from the Atlantic coast of Morocco

Seaweeds are currently considered to be a promising source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). However, PUFA content and their composition can vary greatly depending on species and environmental conditions. In this study fatty acid (FA) profiles have been investigated in eight brown seaweeds collected from the Atlantic coast of Morocco, namely Bifurcariabi furcata, Cystoseira humilis, Cystoseira tamariscifolia, Fucus guiryi, Fucus vesiculosus var. volubilis, Laminaria ochroleuca, Sacchorhiza polyschides and Sargassum muticum. The results show that all studied seaweeds are rich in PUFA. The highest content (47.67% of total FA) was observed in C. humilis and the lowest (26.12%) in S. polyschides. Linoleic acid (C18:2) and arachidonic acid (C20:4) were the PUFA detected in higher abundance. The results of total FA content showed that the species collected from the lower intertidal zone (L. ochroleuca, S. polyschides) contain less FA compared to those harvested from the middle and upper intertidal zone (C. humilis, C. tamariscifolia, F. guiryi and S. muticum). The appropriate n-6/n-3 ratio with a high degree of unsaturation as well as low values of atherogenicity andthrombogenicity indices suggests possible utilization for nutraceutical purposes, especially for Fucus and Cystoseira species