Unveiling the Cultivation of sp. under Controlled Laboratory Conditions.

Cyanobacteria, photoautotrophic Gram-negative bacteria, play a crucial role in aquatic and terrestrial environments, contributing significantly to fundamental ecological processes and displaying potential for various biotechnological applications. It is, therefore, critical to identify viable strains for aquaculture and establish accurate culture parameters to ensure an extensive biomass supply for biotechnology purposes. This study aims to establish optimal laboratory batch culture conditions for 136, sourced from AlgaO, Coimbra, Portugal.

Valorization of the Red Seaweed Gracilaria gracilis Through a Biorefinery Approach.

The 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.

Gelidiales Are Not Just Agar-Revealing the Antimicrobial Potential of for Skin Disorders.

In recent decades, seaweeds have proven to be an excellent source of bioactive molecules. Presently, the seaweed is harvested in a small area of the Portuguese coast exclusively for agar extraction. The aim of this work was to fully disclosure as a sustainable source of antimicrobial ingredients for new dermatological formulations, highlighting its potential to be explored in a circular economy context.

Seasonal Nutritional Profile of (Rhodophyta, Gelidiaceae) from the Center of Portugal.

is a well-known agarophyte, harvested worldwide for its high agar quality. However, the species also exhibits an interesting nutritional profile, but with seasonal variations. Therefore, to evaluate the nutritional value of , ash, crude protein, total lipids, and carbohydrates were analyzed at different times of the year.

Seasonal Changes in the Nutritional Composition of (Rhodophyta, Gracilariales) from the Center of Portugal.

Seaweeds exhibit high nutritional value due to a balanced concentration of proteins, vitamins and minerals, a high concentration of low digestibility polysaccharides, and reduced levels of lipids, many of which are n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. The species is no exception and, as such, a comprehensive study of the chemical and nutritional profile of this red seaweed was carried out for 1 year. Seasonal variations in moisture, ash, protein and amino acids content, crude fibers, ascorbic acid, agar, lipids, and the corresponding fatty acid profile, were analyzed.

Recent Efforts to Recover an Endemic Species from Berlengas Archipelago, Portugal.

Berlengas archipelago is a UNESCO world heritage site and the only location where is found. This species faces various threats, namely, human disturbance, the presence of yellow-legged gull, common-rabbit, and black-rat populations. Thus, exclusion areas were installed, which blocked the access of most Gulls, aiming to promote the recovery of .

Unravelling the Dermatological Potential of the Brown Seaweed .

The ever-increasing interest in keeping a young appearance and healthy skin has leveraged the skincare industry. This, coupled together with the increased concern regarding the safety of synthetic products, has boosted the demand for new and safer natural ingredients. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the dermatological potential of the brown seaweed The antioxidant, anti-enzymatic, antimicrobial, photoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties of five fractions (F1-F5) were evaluated.

Valuable compounds in macroalgae extracts.

Bioactive compounds present in ethanolic extracts from 18 macroalgae of the Portuguese coast were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), leading to the characterization of 14 compounds: proline, phloroglucinol, mannitol, 8 fatty acids and 3 sterols. A dose-dependent response against enzymes with biological significance (α-glucosidase, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) and free radicals (DPPH, nitric oxide, superoxide and hydroxyl) was found, Phaeophyta being the most promising group. A PCA analysis was performed and allowed the establishment of a correlation between the algae chemical composition and the biological activity.

Phlorotannin extracts from fucales characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn: approaches to hyaluronidase inhibitory capacity and antioxidant properties.

Purified phlorotannin extracts from four brown seaweeds (Cystoseira nodicaulis (Withering) M. Roberts, Cystoseira tamariscifolia (Hudson) Papenfuss, Cystoseira usneoides (Linnaeus) M. Roberts and Fucus spiralis Linnaeus), were characterized by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn.

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry multi-target method for the simultaneous analysis of three classes of metabolites in marine organisms.

In this work a fast and simple multi-target gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the simultaneous detection and absolute quantification of amino acids, fatty acids, sterols and lupanes in marine organisms is proposed. The methodology was applied to the characterization of the echinoderm Marthasterias glacialis Linnaeus spiny sea star extracts. The main factors influencing the extraction of target compounds were evaluated by using different extraction procedures, solvent systems and temperature conditions and a comparison with a reference technique was performed.

Can phlorotannins purified extracts constitute a novel pharmacological alternative for microbial infections with associated inflammatory conditions?

Bacterial and fungal infections and the emerging multidrug resistance are driving interest in fighting these microorganisms with natural products, which have generally been considered complementary to pharmacological therapies. Phlorotannins are polyphenols restricted to brown seaweeds, recognized for their biological capacity. This study represents the first research on the antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of phlorotannins purified extracts, which were obtained from ten dominant brown seaweeds of the occidental Portuguese coast.

STEROL PROFILES IN 18 MACROALGAE OF THE PORTUGUESE COAST(1).

The sterol profiles of dominant macroalgae occurring in the western Portuguese coast were evaluated. An analytical procedure, involving alkaline hydrolysis and extraction followed by separation by reversed-phase HPLC-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD), was optimized for the study of their sterols composition. The validated methodology is short in analysis time (as the compounds are determined in <20 min), sensitive, reproducible, and accurate.

HPLC-PAD-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-MS metabolite profiling of cytotoxic carotenoids from the echinoderm Marthasterias glacialis (spiny sea-star).

An HPLC-PAD-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-MS metabolite profiling analysis was conducted on the marine echinoderm Marthasterias glacialis (spiny sea-star). Bio-guided purification of the methanolic extract led to the isolation of several carotenoids, namely zeaxanthin, astaxanthin and lutein. These compounds were characterized using both UV-Vis characteristics and MS spectra interpretation.