title: Biochemical composition of two red seaweed species grown on the Brazilian coast.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Algae species have been used as an important source of food because they are highly nutritive considering their vitamin, protein, mineral, fiber, essential fatty acid and carbohydrate contents. However, a large number of seaweeds have been poorly studied, especially Brazilian species. Two red macroalgae species from the Brazilian coast (Plocamium brasiliense and Ochtodes secundiramea) were assessed with respect to their total lipid, fatty acid, total nitrogen, protein, amino acid and total carbohydrate contents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total lipid contents (dry weight) were 36.3 and 35.4 g kg(-1); fatty acid contents were 9.3 and 12.1 g kg(-1); total nitrogen contents were 37.4 and 24.9 g kg(-1); protein contents were 157.2 and 101.0 g kg(-1); amino acid contents were 127.5 and 91.4 g kg(-1); and total carbohydrate contents were 520.3 and 450.7 g kg(-1) for P. brasiliense and O. secundiramea, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering these compositions, both algae species were determined to have sources of protein, essential amino acids and carbohydrates similar to the edible seaweeds Laminaria japonica and Palmaria palmata.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gressler
authors.forename: Mutue T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Aline P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Pio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Colepicolo
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mancini-Filho
authors.forename: Ernani
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pinto
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004032:Diet; D004777:Environment; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D009753:Nutritive Value; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D044725:Plocamium / Q000737:chemistry; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D008055:Lipids; D010940:Plant Proteins; D009584:Nitrogen