Assessment of nutritional value in a brown seaweed Sargassum wightii and their seasonal variations

Several brown algal (Phaeophyta) taxa or seaweeds such as Laminaria japonica, Hizikia fusiformis and Undaria pinnatifida are widely used as food staples, particularly in Japan, China and Korea due to their high nutritional values. An additional brown algal genus, Sargassum, abundant in tropical waters, is found to be rich in a variety of nutrients. In the present study Sargassum wightii, common to the Indian coastline has been investigated for its nutritional value. S. wightii's chemical properties were found to fluctuate as a function of seasonality and vegetative parts. Significant correlations between environmental factors and S. wightii chemical composition were determined. Carbohydrate and protein concentrations were highest in March collected samples and minimal values were recorded from July through September collections. Both protein and carbohydrates were found to be negatively correlated with ash content. Maximum and minimum ash contents were recorded from July (22.3 +/- 0.12%) to November (16.2 +/- 0.08%) collections, respectively. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.