Extracting Polyphenols from Saccharina angustata by Two Methods
Keywords:
brown algae, Saccharina angustata, polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity, extraction approachesAbstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of two non-thermal extraction techniques, specifically ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and dynamic maceration (DM), for recovering polyphenols from brown seaweed, Saccharina (S.) angustata. Given the thermolabile nature of many phenolic compounds, both methods were chosen for their ability to operate at low temperatures while preserving bioactivity. Moreover, two different solid-to-solvent ratios were tested (1:5 and 1:10, plant material to ethanol, w/v) to assess their influence on extraction efficiency. Total polyphenol content (TPC; Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric method) and antioxidant activity (AA; DPPH assay) of the resulting extracts were analyzed to compare the effectiveness of these techniques. Importantly, the study is the first quantification of TPC and AA in S. angustata, highlighting a pioneering effort in the scientific investigation of this species. Our results revealed that the extract obtained using DM at a 1:10 solid-to solvent ratio exhibited the highest values for extraction efficiency (42.20±1.60 %), TPC (2.61±0.73 mg GAE/g DW), and AA (11.69±2.48 %). In contrast, the highest AA expressed as Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (0.61±0.01 mg TEAC/g DW) was observed in the extract obtained using DM at a 1:5 solid-to-solvent ratio. However, statistical analysis showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) in either TPC or AA between the extracts produced by UAE and DM, regardless of the solid-to-solvent ratio applied. Despite similar yields, UAE proved more time-efficient, requiring only 30 minutes compared to the 24-hour duration of DM. Nevertheless, DM remains a cost-effective and accessible option when ultrasonic equipment is unavailable.
References
Afonso, N.C. et al. (2019). Brown macroalgae as valuable food ingredients. Antioxidants, 8(9), 365. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox8090365
Borlongan, I.A. et al. (2019). Photosynthetic performance of Saccharina angustata (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae) at the southern boundary of subarctic kelp distribution in Japan. Phycologia, 58(3), 300-309. https://doi.org/10.1080/00318884.2019.1571355
Castro, I.A. et al. (2006). Free radical scavenger and antioxidant capacity correlation of α-tocopherol and Trolox measured by three in vitro methodologies. International journal of food sciences and nutrition, 57(1-2), 75-82. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637480600656199
Čmiková, N. et al. (2024). Seaweed Nutritional Value and Bioactive Properties: Insights from Ascophyllum nodosum, Palmaria palmata, and Chondrus crispus. Life, 14(11), 1522. https://doi.org/10.3390/life14111522
Dinç, H. et al. (2024). Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction of antioxidative protein extracts from Sargassum vulgare: optimization of extraction parameters using RSM. Gıda, 49(3), 439-452. https://doi.org/10.15237/gida.GD23128
Duan, X. et al. H.A. (2024). Optimizing extraction methods by a comprehensive experimental approach and characterizing polyphenol compositions of Ecklonia radiata. Food Chemistry, 455, 139926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139926
Frohlich, P.C. et al. (2022). Evaluation of the ethanolic ultrasound-assisted extraction from clove (Syzygium aromaticum) leaves and chemical characterization of the extracts. Food Chemistry, 373, 131351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131351
Generalić Mekinić, I. et al. (2019). Phenolic content of brown algae (Pheophyceae) species: Extraction, identification, and quantification. Biomolecules, 9(6), 244. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom9060244
Gil-Martín, E. et al. (2022). Influence of the extraction method on the recovery of bioactive phenolic compounds from food industry by-products. Food Chemistry, 378, 131918. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131918
Heffernan, N. et al. (2015). Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of fractions obtained from selected Irish macroalgae species (Laminaria digitata, Fucus serratus, Gracilaria gracilis and Codium fragile). Journal of applied phycology, 27, 519-530. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0291-9
Kadam, S.U. et al. (2015). Laminarin from Irish brown seaweeds Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria hyperborea: Ultrasound assisted extraction, characterization and bioactivity. Marine drugs, 13(7), 4270-4280. https://doi.org/10.3390/md13074270
Liu, Y. et al. (2022). Ultrasound for microalgal cell disruption and product extraction: A review. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 87, 106054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2022.106054
Lorenzo, M.E. et al. (2020). Phenolic profile and antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract of Larrea cuneifolia Cav. leaves. In Proceedings (Vol. 70, No. 1, p. 37). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods_2020-07645
Machu, L. et al. (2015). Phenolic content and antioxidant capacity in algal food products. Molecules, 20(1), 1118-1133. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules20011118
Nguyen-Kim, M.T. et al. (2021). Optimized extraction of polyphenols from leaves of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) grown in Lam Dong province, Vietnam, and evaluation of their antioxidant capacity. Open Chemistry, 19(1), 1043-1051. https://doi.org/10.1515/chem-2021-0061
Noreen, H. et al. (2017). Measurement of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of aerial parts of medicinal plant Coronopus didymus. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine, 10(8), 792-801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apjtm.2017.07.024
Otero-Guzman, N., & Andrade-Pizarro, R. (2025). Bioactive compounds from tropical fruit by-products: Extraction, characterization and therapeutic potential. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 101983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.101983
Phuyal, N. et al. (2020). Total phenolic, flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activities of fruit, seed, and bark extracts of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. The Scientific World Journal, 2020(1), 8780704. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8780704
Santos, S.A. et al. (2019). The quest for phenolic compounds from macroalgae: A review of extraction and identification methodologies. Biomolecules, 9(12), 847. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom9120847
Song, Y. et al. (2025). Efficient ultrasound-assisted extraction of bioactive molecules from brown macroalga Sargassum horneri: Optimal extraction, antioxidant and cytotoxicity evaluation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(6), 2749. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26062749
Sunarwidhi, A.L. et al. Multivariate analysis revealed ultrasonic-assisted extraction improves anti-melanoma activity of non-flavonoid compounds in indonesian brown algae ethanol extract. Molecules, 27(21), 7509. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27217509
Taha, M. et al. (2024). Optimizing the extraction of bioactive compounds (polyphenols, lipids, and alpha-tocopherol) from almond okara to unlock its potential as functional food. Foods, 13(17), 2828. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13172828
Ummat, V. et al. (2020). Optimisation of ultrasound frequency, extraction time and solvent for the recovery of polyphenols, phlorotannins and associated antioxidant activity from brown seaweeds. Marine drugs, 18(5), 250. https://doi.org/10.3390/md18050250
Valková et al. (2021a). Physico-chemical, antioxidant and microbiological characteristics of bread supplemented with 1% grape seed micropowder. Journal of Food & Nutrition Research, 60(1), 9-17.
Valková, V. et al. (2021b). Influence of variety on total polyphenols content and antioxidant activity in apple fruits (Malus domestica Borkh.). Agrobiodiversity for Improving Nutrition, Health and Life Quality, 5(2), 227-232. https://doi.org/10.15414/ainhlq.2021.0021
Valková, V. et al. (2022). Selected physico-chemical, nutritional, antioxidant and sensory properties of wheat bread supplemented with apple pomace powder as a by-product from juice production. Plants, 11(9), 1256. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11091256
Wang, Y. et al. (2025). Fucoxanthin from Laminaria japonica targeting PANoptosis and ferroptosis pathways: Insights into its therapeutic potential against ovarian cancer. Marine Drugs, 23(3), 123. https://doi.org/10.3390/md23030123
Ye, N. et al. (2015). Saccharina genomes provide novel insight into kelp biology. Nature communications, 6(1), 6986. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7986
Zhang, J. et al. (2021). Detecting no natural hybridization and predicting range overlap in Saccharina angustata and Saccharina japonica. Journal of Applied Phycology, 33(1), 693-702. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-020-02300-3
Zhang, J. et al. (2025). Molecular weight distribution and structure analysis of phlorotannins in Sanhai kelp (Saccharina japonica) and evaluation of their antioxidant activities. Food Chemistry, 469, 142569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142569
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Martina Lukáčová, Mária Adamkovičová, Eva Kováčiková, Hana Ďúranová
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
