title: Chemical composition of some seaweed from Mediterranean Sea coast, Egypt.
abstract: This study pointed to the assessment of the chemical composition (F, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd, and carbohydrate) of different marine seaweeds (red, green, and brown) from the Egyptian Mediterranean Sea coast. The results showed that green seaweeds supplied better calcium sources than the red and brown ones. Also, red and brown seaweeds showed higher averages of Na and K than that in green species and these seaweeds could play an important role in the electrolyte balance in humans. On the other hand, green seaweeds gave the highest average carbohydrate concentration; thus, these green species could be used as a source of polysaccharides. Ion quotient values for almost seaweed species were between 1.4 and 4.0, so they can reduce hypertension, preeclampsia, and heart disease in human beings. Interestingly, the calculated hazard quotient of elements was below 1. Accordingly, these seaweed species were of high quality and safety and might be used in the field of nutrition.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Division, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ghada F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: El-Said
authors.forename: Amany
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Sikaily
mesh_terms: D004534:Egypt; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012624:Seaweed / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical