Qualitative Analysis of Phytocompounds of Liagora divaricata and Trematocarpus flabellatus

Introduction: Phytocompounds are a powerful chemical group obtained from natural resources that exhibit a range of biological activities. Objective: This study explored the phytocompounds constituents of two species of Rhodophyta, Liagora divaricata and Trematocarpus flabellatus in order to give a preliminary view of qualitative diversity of potentially bioactive compounds. Methods: Approximately 200g of each species were hand-picked at in Chongoene, Mozambique, during a low spring tide. Voucher specimens were identified and stored at the LMU herbarium in the Department of Biological Science, University of Eduardo Mondlane. Samples were cleaned and dried at 50°C for 72 hours before grounding using an electric mixer. Powdered samples were extracted with methanol solvent. Phytocompounds samples were analysed using the GC-MS and identified based in NIST mass spectral library. Results: A total of 42 phytocompounds were identified. The common identities from both seaweeds species include Cholesterol, Desmosterol, Heptadecane, Hexadecanoic acid methyl ester, n-Hexadecanoic acid, Neophytadiene and Phytol. Conclusion: Due to the relevance of these phytocompounds in different industries such as pharmacy, nutrition, agriculture and cosmetic, the identified seaweeds might be good candidates for further research in terms of isolating and validating their activity. Particular attention should focus on Neophytadiene due to its strong bioactive compound in several applications. Keywords: Phytocompounds, Liagora divaricata, Trematocarpus flabellatus, Neophytadien