Marine Algae and Human Health by Sarah Hotchkiss and Catherine Murphy, CyberColloids Ltd.
http://www.crcnetbase.com/doi/abs/10.1201/b17540-11
“Health and Wellness” is now a key driver across all sectors of the food and health industries. Consumers are demanding “natural”, “free-from”, “organic” products and manufacturers are being driven towards using clean label ingredients. In addition, health authorities worldwide are promoting preventative health care strategies that are based upon the general message to eat healthily. In all areas, macroalgae show great potential. Food products that contain “healthy” macroalgal ingredients and products for health and wellness that contain macroalgal derived bioactives (often referred to as neutraceutical products) are becoming more widely available on a commercial basis outside of Asia. The aims of this review are twofold: (i) to summarise the key nutritional characteristics of edible marine algae and (ii) to present information on the potential benefits to human health of marine algal derived natural products.