Extraction of phlorotannin-rich polyphenolic compounds from brown macroalgae: Promising antioxidants for functional foods

George, Ans Mariya and Chakraborty, Kajal and Shaijo, Ashley and Pushpam, Leena D Mary and Dhara, Subhajit and Silpa, K P (2026) Extraction of phlorotannin-rich polyphenolic compounds from brown macroalgae: Promising antioxidants for functional foods. Indian Journal of Fisheries, 73 (2). pp. 139-145. ISSN 0970-6011

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Abstract

Highly polymerised phlorotannin-based polyphenolic compounds are ubiquitous yet unique in brown macroalgae. They are potent antioxidants owing to the presence of pluralities of hydroxyl groups enabling them to scavenge numerous free radicals simultaneously and protect cells from oxidative damage. The present study aimed for a comparison of two solvent systems; ethanol:water:acetic acid (E:W:A, 70:29.7:0.3, v/v/v) and acetone:water:acetic acid (A:W:A, 70:29.7:0.3, v/v/v) for polyphenol extraction. The polyphenol extracts of seven brown algae of Sargassaceae family (Turbinaria ornata, T. conoides, T. decurrens, Sargassum ilicifolium, S. tenerrimum, S. wightii and S. plagiophyllum) were analysed for the total phenolic contents (TPC) (76.76-143.56 mg GAE g-1), total phloroglucinol contents (TPhC) (5.0119.77 mg PGE g-1) and antioxidant activities (IC₅₀ < 0.6 mg ml-1). S. plagiophyllum displayed the highest phloroglucinol content (19.77 mg PGE g-1) followed by T. ornata (13.26 mg PGE g-1) and T. decurrens (11.68 mg PGE g-1). S. plagiophyllum exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, with the lowest IC₅₀ values in both the DPPH (0.29 mg ml-1) and ABTS (0.09 mg ml-1) assays. These results demonstrate the efficiency of the ethanol solvent system in producing a highly antioxidative, phlorotannin-rich polyphenolic concentrate from macroalgal extracts.

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