Mineral Content of Selected Seaweed Varieties in Southern and North Western Sea of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Seaweeds are a rich source of health beneficial bioactive nutraceuticals and currently, they are under-utilised in Sri Lanka. Thus, this study is to get an idea about the possibility of utilising seaweed in Sri Lankan food industry. In the present study, elemental composition analysis of Ulva fasciata obtained from 3 locations Mirissa (5°56/40.5// N: 80°27/20.2// E), Point Dondra (5°55/45.7//N: 80°35/02.5// E) and Galle (6°02/01.1// N: 80°12/52.2// E) and red algae varieties Gracilaria edulis and Gracilaria sp. obtained from Kalpitiya (8°15/40.8// N: 79°46/33.9// E and 8°13/35.0// N: 79°43/34.8// E) respectively. The elemental analysis was carried using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. The results revealed that the predominant mineral of U. fasciata obtained from the 3 locations and Gracilaria sp. as calcium. While the predominant mineral in G. edulis was potassium. All the 5 varieties have various concentrations of elements such as K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn. Significantly high lead content was observed in U. fasciata obtained from Point Dondra. The elemental compositions showed variations among the same species obtained from different locations. The results also revealed that seaweed is a good source of certain essential and trace minerals. Keywords: Ulva fasciata, Gracilaria edulis, Gracilaria sp., minerals, seaweeds

The Influence of Ecological Factors on the Contents of Nutritional Components and Minerals in Laver Based on Open Sea Culture System

“…Marinho-Soriano et al [39] investigated the relationship between the nutritive components of different seaweed species and the environment and found that the variation in chemical composition was generally related to environment. It was also reported that the elemental compositions showed variations among the same seaweed species obtained from different locations [40]. This variability may explain regional differences in the productivity of commercial fisheries [41].…”

Gel properties of agar from two <em>Gracilaria</em> species in Sri Lanka and development of food jellies

“…The sensory and shelf-life studies of the developed food jellies are in progress. Moreover, Gracilaria species have been reported with Pb contaminations, thus it is crucial to ensure good environmental conditions and maintain water quality parameters in cultivating areas (Jayakody et al 2021) and further studies are required for the determination of the heavy metal composition of these dried agar powders in order to be utilized in the food industry.…”