Biochemical composition, antiradical potential and human health risk of the Arctic edible brown seaweed Fucus spiralis L

In this study we aimed to analyze the biochemical composition and antiradical properties and estimate the human health risk of Fucus spiralis collected in the Norwegian Sea (NS), Irminger Sea (IS) and Barents Sea (BS). The accumulation of main carbohydrates (fucose and xylose) significantly varied in different seas and reproductive phases and was maximal in samples from the BS in the fertility phase. The accumulation of the sum of polyphenols and flavonoids was in the following ranking order: IS < BS < NS. The polyphenols and flavonoids were decreased in the fertile phase. The antiradical power strongly correlated with polyphenols and flavonoid content and was increased in seaweeds in the sterile phase. The Metal Pollution Index (MPI) varied widely from 42 in F. spiralis from NS to 128-230 in seaweeds from IS. A gradient of MPI values was observed across the sea in the following ranking order: NS <= BS < < IS. Our data about metal concentrations in F. spiralis suggests that the seawater in the Arctic Region (NS, IS and BS) could be classified as Unpolluted for all metals. All studied arctic F. spiralis seaweeds posed no health risk by toxic elements and are safe for daily consumption. Our results whiteness the potential of arctic F. spiralis as a rich source of polysaccharides, polyphenols, and flavonoids with significant antiradical activity and as a promising species with no human health risk for the utilization in medicine and functional food.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the biochemical composition, antiradical properties, and human health risk of Fucus spiralis collected in different seas. The concentration of carbohydrates varied in different seas and reproductive phases, with the highest levels found in the Barents Sea during the fertility phase. The accumulation of polyphenols and flavonoids followed a similar pattern, with the highest levels in the Barents Sea and a decrease during the fertility phase. The antiradical power was strongly correlated with polyphenols and flavonoid content and was increased in sterile phase seaweeds. Metal Pollution Index (MPI) varied across the seas, with the highest values found in seaweeds from the Irminger Sea.