Comparison of chemical profile and antioxidant properties of the brown algae

Abstract

Summary Six brown algae, Sargassum vestitum, Sargassum linearifolium, Phyllospora comosa, Padina sp. , Hormosira banksii and Sargassum podocanthum, were investigated for the chemical profile and antioxidant activity. The results showed that the extracts H. banksii, S. vestitum and Padina sp. indicated the significantly higher total phenolic compound ( TPC ) and antioxidant activities ( ABTS , DPPH and FRAP ) compared to the other species ( P < 0.05) and comparable to positive controls: butylated hydroxytoluene, ascorbic acid and alpha‐tocopherol at the concentrations (0.06–1 mg mL −1 ). Fucoxanthin was also found in six species and isolated for evaluating antioxidant activity. In addition, the phenolic compounds were mainly responsible for antioxidant activity of the extracts, while fucoxanthin showed quite high antioxidant activity. It is suggested that S. vestitum, H. banksii and Padina sp. have the potent for extracting bioactive components and further applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.