Determination of Fucoxanthin in Bloom-Forming Macroalgae by HPLC–UV

Abstract

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid natural product with extensive biological activities and offers a variety of health benefits. Brown algae and diatoms are known producers of this compound as an important component of their light-harvesting complexes. Considering its important function in algal photosynthesis, we assume that the massive biomass from macroalgal blooms is potential bioresources of this compound. Accordingly, a high-performance liquid chromatography–ultra-violet (HPLC–UV) method was developed and validated for quantitation of fucoxanthin in bloom-forming macroalgal species from coastal waters of north China. The linear regression was acquired with r = 0.9991. The precisions were evaluated by intra- and inter-day tests, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) values were within the range of 0.59 and 2.30%, respectively. The recoveries for the method were observed over the range of 99.3–100.4% with RSD values < 2.6%. Our results showed that fucoxanthin occurs in all the tested algae including red and green algal species, which are not generally considered as fucoxanthin producers. Application of HPLC–time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the qualitative analysis further confirmed the production of fucoxanthin in these species. The developed method provided an insight into the potential of the macroalgal biomass commercial production of fucoxanthin.

An overview on the nutritional and bioactive components of green seaweeds

“…What deserves to be mentioned is that fucoxanthin exhibits antioxidant properties even under anoxic conditions (Torregrosa-Crespo et al 2018 ). Although brown seaweed is the main source of fucoxanthin, it also exists in green seaweeds U. prolifera and C. fragile (Li, Feng, et al 2021 ). Siphonaxanthin, a keto-carotenoid has strong anti-tumor activity by reason of the special structure without epoxide or an allenic bond, and its content in green seaweeds such as Umbraulva japonica , Caulerpa lentillifera , and C. fragile constitutes about 0.03 to 0.1% of the dry weight (Sugawara et al 2014 ; Torregrosa-Crespo et al 2018 ).…”

Light and Nutrient Conditions Influence Fucoxanthin Production of the Microalgae Cyclotella meneghiniana

“…Prior studies have confirmed the effectiveness of microalgae in serving as a source of fucoxanthin, with diatoms exhibiting a goldenbrown hue, attributed to their richness in pigments such as fucoxanthin [6,7]. Fucoxanthin, an essential xanthophyll carotenoid present in both macroalgae and microalgae, possesses significant market worth [8][9][10]. Earlier research indicates that fucoxanthin exhibits a range of pharmacological properties, encompassing antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, antimalarial, anticancer, and more [8,11,12].…”