Page 346 - Natural Antioxidants, Applications in Foods of Animal Origin

Antioxidant Dietary Fiber: An Approach to Develop Healthy 325
VetBooks.ir study on roselle flower and beverage prepared from it, Sáyago-Ayerdi et al.

(2007) quantified the DF, associated polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity.
It was reported that roselle flower contained DF as the largest component
(33.9%) and was rich in phenolic compounds (6.13%).

8.5.4.3 SEAWEED

Fucus vesiculosus L. is a brown-colored, perennial, dioecious edible
seaweed forming dense belts in cold rocky littoral habitats (Jiménez-Escrig
et al., 2001b; Jormalainen & Honkanen, 2004), covering large areas from a
few decimeters below the water surface to a depth of several meters (Nilsson
et al., 2004). It contains protein, minerals, iodine, vitamins, monounsatu-
rated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (Herbreteau et al., 1997; Rupérez &
Saura-Calixto, 2001; Rupérez et al., 2002; Morel et al., 2005). However,
the main components that make Fucus nutritionally significant are non-
digestible polysaccharides (DF) and polyphenols. DF from seaweeds has
proven to have a positive effect on cholesterol metabolism and blood pres-
sure (Jiménez-Escrig & Sánchez-Muñiz, 2000). DF of F. vesiculosus is
composed of fucans, alginates, laminaranes, and cellulose, with fucoidan as
the predominant polysaccharide (Rioux et al., 2007). Fucoidan as observed
in several studies in rats and humans, showing beneficial effects as an anti-
coagulant, antithrombotic, antiviral, and anti-cancer agent (Béress et al.,
1993; Aisa et al., 2005), as well as in the treatment of chronic renal failure
(Zhang et al., 2003). F. vesiculosus has shown high antioxidant capacity by
several methods (Morel et al., 2005) due to the synergic effect of phloro-
tannins, vitamin E, and certain carotenoids (Le Tutour et al., 1998; Toth &
Pavia, 2001).
The presence of the functional components DF and antioxidants in F.
vesiculosus in a higher proportion than in other edible seaweeds (Jiménez-
Escrig et al., 2001b; Rupérez & Toledano, 2003) has led to the development
of a large number of functional ingredients and dietary supplements derived
from this like fucoidan powders, F. vesiculosus capsules, or F. vesiculosus
antioxidant extracts. Díaz-Rubio et al. (2009) compared the antioxidant
capacity and polysaccharide composition of raw Fucus with those of some
common commercial nutraceuticals. All tested products contained a high
percentage of DF (45–59%), raw Fucus powder being the sample with the
highest content. Moreover, Fucus powder exhibited significantly higher
antioxidant capacity as determined by FRAP, ABTS, and ORAC assays than
the commercial fucoidans and commercial antioxidant extracts. Polyphenols