Comparative assessment of antioxidant activity in three edible species of green seaweed, Enteromorpha from Okha, Northwest coast of India

Three edible species of green seaweed Enteromorpha (E. compressa, E. linza and E. tubulosa) were studied for their antioxidant activity. The maximum total phenol content (%) was observed in the extract of acetone (11.63 ± 0.39), methanol (3.45 ± 0.18) and acetone (6.30 ± 0.06) for E.compressa, E.linza and E.tubulosa respectively. The excellent DPPH radical scavenging was observed in methanolic extract of E. compressa (IC50 1.89 mg/ml). The acetone extract of E. tubulosa showed good reducing power as compared to the extract of E. compressa and E. linza at 0.1 mg/ml. Methanol and propanol extracts of E. compressa showed good ferrous ion chelation activity. The extract of these three seaweeds exhibited high antioxidant activity in linoleic acid system during the incubation time. The potential of these extracts of Enteromorpha was evident, as it possessed various antioxidant activities. Hence, these extracts could be used as either natural antioxidants or ingredients in pharmaceutical industries.Industrial RelevanceThe results showed that different solvent extracts obtained from edible species of Enteromorpha exhibited good antioxidant activities. Bioactive compounds found in Enteromorpha species anticipate a major breakthrough for a variety of food/medical applications as they have the potential for application of such compounds as natural antioxidants in different food/pharmaceutical products.

Research Highlights
► Enteromorpha species were collected from Okha, Northwest coast of India.
► Phenol content was higher in E.compressa followed by E.tubulosa and E.linza.
► Different solvent extracts of Enteromorpha species exhibited good antioxidant activities.
► Hence, solvent extracts of Enteromorpha could be used in pharmaceutical industries.