Abstract

STUDIES ON PHARMACEUTICAL AND COMMERCIAL SIGNIFICANCE AMINO ACIDS FROM MARINE GREEN ALGAL SPECIES OF CAULERPACEAE

Subramanian G.* and K. Ambiga

Abstract

Generally seaweeds are green, brown, and red marine algae, which are useful and essential natural resource for food and feed to human and animal welfare respectively. Thus, some of the representatives species of Caulepa from Chlorophyta were investigated the quality and quantity of industrially, commercially and pharmaceutical significance amino acids. In this present study, the five marine green algal species of Caulerpa were used for amino acids. The seaweeds are namely Caulerpa chemnitzia, Caulerpa veravalensis, Caulerpa peltata, Caulerpa cupressoides and Caulerpa scalpelliformis. These macroalgal seaweeds showed differentiation in quality and quantity of amino acids. The highest percentage of glutamic acid in Caulerpa chemnitzia (11.76%) and Caulerpa scalpelliformis (10.61%), Lysine in Caulerpa peltata (15.93%), Caulerpa cupressoides (14.98%) and Caulerpa veravalensis (11.44%) were recorded. Among the 20 amino acids, cysteine, glycine and proline were not detected in Caulerpa cupressoides, and serine was not found in Caulerpa scalpelliformis. The lowest percentage of methionine, tyrosine, valine and alanine were recorded in all the five species. Seaweeds are having minerals, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as phycocolloids, partial substitution of costly protein sources in animal feeds with seaweed protein may improve food and feed quality for human and animals respectively.

Keywords: Kootapuli, Idinthakarai, Kuthankuli, Seaweeds, Amino acid, Caulerpa, Caulerpaceae.