Levels of taurine, hypotaurine and homotaurine, and amino acids profiles in selected commercial seaweeds, microalgae, and algae-enriched food products

Abstract

Amino acids and sulfonic acid derivatives (Taurine-Tau; Hypotaurine-HypTau; Homotaurine-HTau) of 26 different species of commercial macroalgae, microalgae and 10 algae-enriched food products from the market were quantified in a single chromatographic run. Tau and analogues were predominantly distributed in red species followed by green and brown species. Palmaria palmata, Gracilaria longissima and Porphyra sp. were the species with the highest content of Tau and total sulfonic acid derivatives (TAD). Notwithstanding, relatively high concentrations of HTau were found in green algae Ulva lactuca and G. vermicullophyla as well as in the brown algae Undaria pinnatifida. HTau and HypTau were found at lower concentrations than Tau in all species, except in Ulva lactuca. The samples with the highest protein content were the green species Chlorella vulgaris, Nannochloropsis, and Afanizomenon-flos aquae, followed by the red algae Gracilaria longissima and Gracilaria vermicullophyla.

Samples of pasta formulated with algae ingredients contained the highest levels of sulfonic acid derivatives, evidencing that these products can provide levels of TAD comparable to those found in foods of animal origin.

This study provides, for the first time, quantitative information regarding the distribution of sulfonic acid derivatives and total amino acids in multiple algae species as well as the nutritional impact of the inclusion of algae ingredients in commercial food matrices.