In vitro digestibility of proteins from red seaweeds: Impact of cell wall structure and processing methods

This study aimed to assess the nutritional quality and digestibility of proteins in two red seaweed species, Gelidium corneum and Gracilaropsis longissima, through the application of in vitro gastrointestinal digestions, and evaluate the impact of two consecutive processing steps, extrusion and compression moulding, to produce food snacks. The protein content in both seaweeds was approximately 16 %, being primarily located within the cell walls. Both species exhibited similar amino acid profiles, with aspartic and glutamic acid being most abundant. However, processing impacted their amino acid profiles, leading to a significant decrease in labile amino acids like lysine. Nevertheless, essential amino acids constituted 35-36 % of the total in the native seaweeds and their processed products. Although the protein digestibility in both seaweed species was relatively low (<60 %), processing, particularly extrusion, enhanced it by approximately 10 %. Interestingly, the effect of the different processing steps on the digestibility varied between the two species. This difference was mainly attributed to compositional and structural differences. G. corneum exhibited increased digestibility with each processing step, while G. longissima reached maximum digestibility after extrusion. Notably, changes in the amino acid profiles of the processed products affected adversely the protein nutritional quality, with lysine becoming the limiting amino acid. These findings provide the basis for developing strategies to enhance protein quality in these seaweed species, thereby facilitating high-quality food production with potential applications in the food industry.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Cebrián Lloret, Vera, Martínez Abad, Antonio, Recio, Isidra, López-Rubio, Amparo, Martínez Sanz, Marta
Other Authors:	European Commission
Format:	artículo biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier 2024-01-09
Subjects:	Agarophytes, Algae, Alternative proteins, DIAAS, Extrusion, Infogest, Phycocolloids,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10261/346235 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004837 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780 https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85181926866
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