Bioactive volatile compounds from marine algae: feeding attractants

Abstract

Chemical communications play an important role in plants, fungi, and algae. Volatile organic compounds in marine algae are released into the seawater. These compounds play a role as either pheromones or allelochemicals. We observed that the turbinid gastropod Lunella coronata coreensis inhabits the intertidal zone and often grazes the green alga Ulva pertusa. Feeding tests and feeding preference studies were performed with green, brown and red algae or by using the powdered freeze-dried seaweed in agar. The snails fed on U. pertusa preferentially compared to the other marine algae, and recognized chemoreception compounds from the alga but not their structural or morphological differences. From feeding tests using artificial foods, it is suggested that the feeding attractants are in the essential oil of the alga U. pertusa.

Evolution of volatile compounds and sensory characteristics of edible green seaweed (Ulva rigida) during storage at different temperatures

“…Some authors have reported that, in macroalgae, short and middle chain aldehydes come from fatty acids. Hexanal is produced from linoleic acid, which is formed by the enzymatic reaction of lipoxygenase . Kamenarska et al .…”

Rapid identification of volatile compounds in fresh seaweed

“…Hexanal is the most abundant aldehyde in two analyzed seaweed. Akakabe and Kajiwara [14] have reported that in marine seaweed short and middle-chain aldehydes are produced from fatty acids. Aldehydes such as hexanal, heptanal, nonanal and decanal were also found in some species of brown algae from the Black sea [12].…”

“…Studies of the volatiles in algae were conducted by extraction and pre-concentration by conventional methods: liquid-liquid extraction [9], distillation [6,[10][11][12][13][14] and pre-evaporation [15]. These methods present several disadvantages as use of expensive and hazardous organic solvents, lose analytes during extraction and high time consuming.…”

Macroalgae as a sustainable aquafeed ingredient

“…Life in these habitats can be a challenge, and the organisms living there can experience a variety of physical stressors: temperature, light, salinity, desiccation and wave action, alongside biological pressures: predation, competition, parasitism and allelopathy (Paul et al . ; Akakabe & Kajiwara ). Many of the secondary metabolites produced by the algae are seen as adaptive responses to these selective pressures.…”