As a result of their nutritive values,
algae have been used as
a food resource for centuries, and there is a growing interest to
use them as enrichment ingredients in food products. However, food
product acceptance by consumers is strongly linked to their organoleptic
properties, especially the aroma, taste, and a combination of the
two, flavor. With regard to edible algae, “fresh seashore”,
“seafood-like”, “cucumber green”, and
“earthy” are descriptors commonly used to define their
aromas. Several families of molecules participate in the diversity
and peculiarities of algal aromas: pungent sulfur compounds and marine
halogenated components but also herbaceous fatty acid derivatives
and fruity–floral terpenoids. In both macroalgae (seaweeds)
and microalgae, these compounds are studied from a chemistry point
of view (identification and quantification) and a sensorial point
of view, involving sensorial evaluation by panelists. As a whole food,
a food ingredient, or a feed, algae are valued for their nutritional
composition and their health benefits. However, because the acceptance
of food by consumers is so strongly linked to its sensorial features,
studies have been performed to explore the aromas of algae, their
impact on food, their evolution through processing, and their ability
to produce selected aromas using biotechnology. This review aims at
highlighting algal aromas from seaweed and microalgae as well as their
use, their handling, and their processing in the food industry.
Citharoxazole (1), a new batzelline derivative featuring a benzoxazole moiety, was isolated from the Mediterranean deep-sea sponge Latrunculia (Biannulata) citharistae Vacelet, 1969, together with the known batzelline C (2). This is the first chemical study of a Mediterranean Latrunculia species and the benzoxazole moiety is unprecedented for this family of marine natural products. The structure was mainly elucidated by the interpretation of NMR spectra and especially HMBC correlations.
Marennine has long been known as the unique peculiar pigment responsible for the natural greening of oysters. It is specifically produced by the marine diatom Haslea ostrearia and it is a natural blue molecule indeed promising for food industry because of the rarity of such non-toxic, blue-colored pigments. In the search for its still not defined molecular structure, investigation of the color changes with the redox state has been carried out combining different approaches. Reducing and oxidizing chemicals have been added to purified marennine solutions and a stable blue-green color has been confirmed for the oxidized state, while a yellow color corresponded to the reduced unstable state. Raman spectroscopy has been used to monitor changes in the Raman spectra corresponding to the different colored states, and cyclic voltammetry has allowed the detection of a redox system in which protons and electrons are exchanged. These findings show that marennine is a suitable stable blue pigment for use in food applications and help in the elucidation of the chromophore structure.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.