marine drugs Review Seaweeds as a Functional Ingredient for a Healthy Diet Rocío Peñalver 1, José M. Lorenzo 2,* , Gaspar Ros 1 , Ryszard Amarowicz 3 , Mirian Pateiro 2 and Gema Nieto 1 1 Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Food Science, Veterinary Faculty University of Murcia, Campus Mare Nostrum, 30100 Espinardo, Spain;
[email protected] (R.P.);
[email protected] (G.R.);
[email protected] (G.N.) 2 Centro Tecnológico de la Carne de Galicia, Parque Tecnológico de Galicia, 32900 San Cibrao das Viñas, Spain;
[email protected] 3 Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, 10-748 Olsztyn, Poland;
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[email protected]; Tel.: +34-988-548-277; Fax: +34-988-548-276 Received: 3 May 2020; Accepted: 3 June 2020; Published: 5 June 2020 Abstract: Seaweeds have been used since ancient times as food, mainly by Asian countries, while in Western countries, their main application has been as gelling agents and colloids for the food, pharmaceuticals, and the cosmetic industry. Seaweeds are a good source of nutrients such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Polyphenols, polysaccharides, and sterols, as well as other bioactive molecules, are mainly responsible for the healthy properties associated with seaweed. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic properties are attributed to these compounds. If seaweeds are compared to terrestrial plants, they have a higher proportion of essential fatty acids as eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids. In addition, there are several secondary metabolites that are synthesized by algae such as terpenoids, oxylipins, phlorotannins, volatile hydrocarbons, and products of mixed biogenetic origin.