Characterization of fucoidan extracted from brown macroalgae Padina sp. and Sargassum sp.

In the present study, the structural and antioxidant properties of fucoidan extracted from macroalgae (Sargassum and Padina) from the Persian Gulf coast were evaluated. The fucoidan was extracted by ethanol and hot water and after calculating the extraction yield, DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and its monosaccharides by HPLC method were examined. The yield of fucoidan in Sargassum (4.2 ± 0.00%) was higher than Padina (2.98 ± 0.28%) (P < 0.05). The IC50 of DPPH free radical scavenging in fucoidan extracted from Sargassum and Padina were 0.1 and 0.14 mg/ ml, respectively, which were higher than BHT as a commercial antioxidant (P < 0.05). The rate of FRAP in both samples increased with an increase in the concentration of fucoidan. The SEM results showed that fucoidan from both macroalgae had strong structural cohesion and irregular surfaces, but Padina had more surface protrusions. The glucose, mannose and xylose sugars in different amounts were detected by the HPLC method, in which the amount of glucose and xylose sugars were higher in the fucoidan derived-Sargassum (P < 0.05). According to the results of the present study, the fucoidan extracted from the Sargassum and Padina can be a good alternative to an industrial antioxidant in food