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allied
academies
Nov 12-13, 2018 | Paris, France
Nutraceuticals and Food Sciences
International Conference on
27
th
International Conference on
Nursing and Healthcare
&
Joint Event
Journal of Food science and Nutrition | Volume 1
Seaweed as a Functional Food
S Sumayaa
Abdul Kader College for Women, India
T
he Seaweeds are macrophytic algae, a primitive type of
plants lacking true roots, stems and leaves. Seaweeds are
wonder plants of the sea and highly useful plants. Asia stands
as the world leader in seaweed cultivation and more than
80% is contributed by China, Korea and Japan. Only recently,
seaweed cultivation is picking up in certain coastal districts of
the Tamil Nadu state. Seaweeds used for production of Agar,
Alginates & Carrageenan. Chemicals from brown seaweeds
such as alginic acid, mannitol, laminarin, fucoidin and iodine
have been extracted successfully on a commercial basis. In
recent years, much attention has been directed towards foods
or food components that promote optimal health and reduce
the risks associated with diseases/disorders in the humans than
identifying and correcting nutritional deficiencies. Food shown
to provide specific health benefits to humans and improve
quality of life is known as “functional foods”. Seaweeds are
considered as functional food supplement of 21st century
and the demand for food supplements from seaweeds has
increased many folds in overseas mainly because of wide usage
in food, confectionary, textiles, pharmaceuticals, dairy and
paper industries. Multifunctional applications of seaweed is
mainly due to its diversified nutrient content such as sulphated
polysaccharides, dietary fibre, proteins, minerals and vitamins
as well as certain bioactive compounds with antibacterial,
antiviral,antifungalproperties.Abundanceofgelling,thickening,
emulsifying, binding, stabilizing, clarifying and protecting agents
known as carrageenans, alginates and agars in seaweed further
extend their applications. This presentation would focus on
the scientific facts about seaweeds as a functional food and its
health benefits.
e:
sumayaa.16@gmail.com