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10 Aquatic Plants and Algae Proteins
plants have been investigated widely for their antioxidant properties. The antioxidant
properties of proteins from algae can be attributed to their bioactive proteins. Some
of the antioxidant properties of some polysaccharides such as fucoidans which show
antioxidant activity have been thought to be due to the presence of proteins attached
to them.
Proteins extracted from aquatic plants and algae have been explored for a range
of other applications which include antiinflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, lipid and
glucose-lowering effect, anticancer, immunomodulatory effect, appetite suppression,
antimicrobial, cytomodulatory and hypocholesterolemic.
10.8 Commercial Production
Protein is an important component of the human diet. It is one of the three main
macronutrients which are vital for energy production, the others being fats and carbohydrates. For much of the world, sea-sourced food is the primary source of protein,
largely fish. With the growing demand for increased food production rate and protein
being a very important part of this, algae have a large potential present and future
market to serve as a rich protein source. Extraction of the protein from the algae and
aquatic plants improved digestibility and also reduces the cost of transportation of
the whole algae or aquatic plant biomass, which usually has high water content.
A non-essential amino acid, glutamic acid, has a sodium salt, monosodium glutamate, which naturally occurs in the red sea weed Saccharina japonica, commonly
known as MSG, which is commercially used as a flavor enhancer. Although not
a protein, it is an amino acid. It is more commercially produced from fermentation of glutamic acid by corynebacterium species (Kakogawa et al. 1972) and made
one of its earliest commercial appearance in the form of the flavor enhancer brand
named “Aji-no-moto” (Choudhury and Sarkar 2017). One of the particular appeals
of an algae-sourced amino-acid-based flavor is that it serves as an option to meat- or
fish-based seasoning to vegans and vegetarians.
The extraction of proteins can be carried out alongside extraction of polysaccharides and lipids as a way to make optimal use of all the commercially valuable
compounds within the algae. Presently, companies and researchers who are focused
on extraction of particular compound from algae tend to discard the other parts
of the algae which include the proteins. This is particularly due to the additional
costs required for further processing and the complexity of developing a multiproduct business model. Companies who are presently involved in production of algae
protein-based products include Nova Scotia in Canada, Calpis Co Ltd in Japan and
Valio Ltd in Finland.
10 Aquatic Plants and Algae Proteins
plants have been investigated widely for their antioxidant properties. The antioxidant
properties of proteins from algae can be attributed to their bioactive proteins. Some
of the antioxidant properties of some polysaccharides such as fucoidans which show
antioxidant activity have been thought to be due to the presence of proteins attached
to them.
Proteins extracted from aquatic plants and algae have been explored for a range
of other applications which include antiinflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, lipid and
glucose-lowering effect, anticancer, immunomodulatory effect, appetite suppression,
antimicrobial, cytomodulatory and hypocholesterolemic.
10.8 Commercial Production
Protein is an important component of the human diet. It is one of the three main
macronutrients which are vital for energy production, the others being fats and carbohydrates. For much of the world, sea-sourced food is the primary source of protein,
largely fish. With the growing demand for increased food production rate and protein
being a very important part of this, algae have a large potential present and future
market to serve as a rich protein source. Extraction of the protein from the algae and
aquatic plants improved digestibility and also reduces the cost of transportation of
the whole algae or aquatic plant biomass, which usually has high water content.
A non-essential amino acid, glutamic acid, has a sodium salt, monosodium glutamate, which naturally occurs in the red sea weed Saccharina japonica, commonly
known as MSG, which is commercially used as a flavor enhancer. Although not
a protein, it is an amino acid. It is more commercially produced from fermentation of glutamic acid by corynebacterium species (Kakogawa et al. 1972) and made
one of its earliest commercial appearance in the form of the flavor enhancer brand
named “Aji-no-moto” (Choudhury and Sarkar 2017). One of the particular appeals
of an algae-sourced amino-acid-based flavor is that it serves as an option to meat- or
fish-based seasoning to vegans and vegetarians.
The extraction of proteins can be carried out alongside extraction of polysaccharides and lipids as a way to make optimal use of all the commercially valuable
compounds within the algae. Presently, companies and researchers who are focused
on extraction of particular compound from algae tend to discard the other parts
of the algae which include the proteins. This is particularly due to the additional
costs required for further processing and the complexity of developing a multiproduct business model. Companies who are presently involved in production of algae
protein-based products include Nova Scotia in Canada, Calpis Co Ltd in Japan and
Valio Ltd in Finland.