9 documents found, page 1 of 1
The Vibrant Spectra of the Oceans: Unravelling the Diversity, Functions, and Ap...
Freitas, Marta V.; Afonso, Clélia; Pereira, Leonel; Mouga, TeresaSeaweeds are photosynthetic organisms that harvest sunlight and convert it into essential energy through a highly effective biochemical process powered by light, which in turn is captured and directed to the reactive centers by pigments. Seaweed pigments are fundamental to the seaweed photosynthetic process and are also responsible for their current taxonomic classification into three distinct divisions. The Ch...
Assessing High-Value Bioproducts from Seaweed Biomass: A Comparative Study of W...
Ferreira, Henrique S.; Mouga, Teresa; Lourenço, Sílvia; Matias, Margarida H.; Freitas, Marta V.; Clélia Neves-AfonsoThis study aimed to evaluate the biochemical composition and bioactivities of biomass derived from wild (Laminaria ochroleuca and Saccorhiza polyschides) and cultivated (Macrocystis pyrifera) kelps, as well as industrially extracted residual pulp from M. pyrifera, to assess the potential production of high value bioproducts. All samples had a low lipid content, with M. pyrifera having the lowest (1.3% dw) and S...
Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of selected red seaweeds from Central ...
Freitas, Marta V.; Inácio, Leonardo G.; Ruas, Ana; Silva, Isabela A.; Mouga, Teresa; Pereira, Leonel; Afonso, CléliaThroughout the ages, macroalgae have provided humankind with elements beneficial to human health, and often with bioactive abilities. Yet, while today we fully acknowledge such potential, especially that of the most widely known species, an even greater number of species remain unaknowledged. This holds particularly true for the highly diverse phylum Rhodophyta (red seaweeds) and, therefore, the present study a...
Valorization of the red seaweed Gracilaria gracilis through a biorefinery approach
Martins, Alice; Pinto, Filipa R.; Barroso, Sónia; Pereira, Tatiana; Mouga, Teresa; Afonso, Clélia; Freitas, Marta V.; Pinteus, Susete; Pedrosa, RuiThe interest in seaweeds as an abundant feedstock to obtain valuable and multitarget bioactive ingredients is continuously growing. In this work, we explore the potential of Gracilaria gracilis, an edible red seaweed cultivated worldwide for its commercial interest as a source of agar and other ingredients for cosmetic, pharmacological, food, and feed applications. G. gracilis growth conditions were optimized t...
Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Selected Red Seaweeds from Central ...
Freitas, Marta V.; Inácio, Leonardo G.; Ruas, Ana; Silva, Isabela A.; Mouga, Teresa; Pereira, Leonel; Afonso, CléliaThroughout the ages, macroalgae have provided humankind with elements beneficial to human health, and often with bioactive abilities. Yet, while today we fully acknowledge such potential, especially that of the most widely known species, an even greater number of species remain unaknowledged. This holds particularly true for the highly diverse phylum Rhodophyta (red seaweeds) and, therefore, the present study a...
Red seaweed pigments from a biotechnological perspective
Freitas, Marta V.; Pacheco, Diana; Cotas, João; Mouga, Teresa; Afonso, Clélia; Pereira, LeonelAlgae taxa are notably diverse regarding pigment diversity and composition, red seaweeds (Rhodophyta) being a valuable source of phycobiliproteins (phycoerythrins, phycocyanin, and allophycocyanin), carotenes (carotenoids and xanthophylls), and chlorophyll a. These pigments have a considerable biotechnological potential, which has been translated into several registered patents and commercial applications. Howe...
Seasonal Nutritional Profile of Gelidium corneum (Rhodophyta, Gelidiaceae) from...
Cavaco, Mário; Duarte, Adriana; Freitas, Marta V.; Afonso, Clélia; Bernardino, Susana; Pereira, Leonel; Martins, Mendelson; Mouga, TeresaGelidium corneum is a well-known agarophyte, harvested worldwide for its high agar qual-ity. However, the species also exhibits an interesting nutritional profile, but with seasonal varia-tions. Therefore, to evaluate the nutritional value of G. corneum, ash, crude protein, total lipids, and carbohydrates were analyzed at different times of the year. The heavy metals mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and tin, as...
New applications for Gelidium corneum: Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity w...
Mouga, Teresa; Cavaco, Mário; Duarte, Adriana; Correia, Ana Patrícia; Freitas, Marta V.; Bernardino, Susana; Afonso, CléliaThere are more than four hundred endogenous seaweeds that occur in Portugal, and red seaweeds (Rhodophyta) are the most abundant. Among these, Gelidium corneum, common in the Atlantic coast of Portugal, is currently being collected in the wild, in S. Martinho do Porto, exclusively for the extraction of agar. During the summer season this species is harvested from the bottom of the ocean, dried and sold, represe...
Identification of Gracilariaceae (Rhodophyta) of central Portugal by histologic...
Freitas, Marta V.; Simões, Marco; Valdez, Christian; Afonso, Clélia; Trindade, Beatriz G.; Correia, Ana; Baptista, Teresa; Mouga, TeresaThis study aims to identify different populations of Gracilariaceae collected from the central coast of Portugal through light microscopy, anatomical observations and genetic tools, essential approaches to correctly assign species identity. Samples were obtained from Ria de Aveiro (AV), Figueira da Foz (FFBC, FFMD), and Lagoa de Óbidos (LOBR, LOEV, LOBS). Although histological observations offered a visual repr...