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With an aim to utilize the waste generated from Bull's eye (Priacanthus hamrur) fish processing, proteins were extracted from this waste using the pH shift method. The properties of extracted proteins were studied in detail. During the protein solubility measurement, maximum solubilisation was found at pH 3.0 (13.10 mg/mL) on the acidic side and pH 11.0 (14.25 mg/mL) on the alkaline side with a total yield of 51.62 ± 0.23 and 45.42 ± 0.29 (%), respectively. The variables tested in this study showed a significant effect on protein solubility (p p

Two different non-specific proteolytic enzymes (papain and pepsin) and two carbohydrase enzymes (α-amylase and β-amylase) were used for the depolymerization of chitosan to produce chitooligosaccharides (COS). The COS produced using papain, pepsin, α-amylase and β-amylase were characterized for physico-chemical, structural, thermal and antioxidant activities. Chitooligosaccharides produced using pepsin enzyme had higher solubility compared to other three COS. Structural variation of chitosan and their oligosaccharides were studied by FTIR analysis and it revealed the existence of various structural difference among the oligosaccharides and chitosan. Thermal behavior of chitosan and oligosaccharides were examined using DSC analysis, and it exhibits difference in the glass transition temperature among the four oligosaccharides and native chitosan. Anti-oxidant analysis such as DPPH radical scavenging activity and reducing power revealed the antioxidant ability of chitooligosaccharides. Among the four COS, pepsin-COS had the highest DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power activity. According to the patterns of molecular weight reduction, antioxidant properties, thermal behavior properties, four enzymes α- amylase, β-amylase, pepsin and papain found suitable for hydrolyzing chitosan into chitooligosaccharide. As it is superior to chitosan, chitooligosaccharide can be utilized in food industry as bio-preservatives to enhance the quality, safety and shelf life of the products.

Seaweeds present a promising option for inclusion in the human diet through supplementation in various food systems. Sea grapes (Caulerpa racemosa), a common tropical green seaweed, has immense nutritional potential. An attempt was made to utilize the health benefits of sea grapes in human diet via biscuit as carrying medium. The effect of C. racemosa incorporation on nutritional, physical, anti-oxidative and sensorial characteristics of biscuits was assessed. Functional properties of seaweed-flour mix along with the electrophoretic pattern of dough were evaluated. Caulerpa racemosa addition increased water and oil absorption capacity of flour mix. Likewise, increase was noticed in solvent retention capacities (sodium carbonate, lactic acid, and sucrose) of flour mix. Inclusion of C. racemosa in biscuit enhanced the nutritive potential. Protein and fiber content of biscuits increased with rising level of C. racemosa incorporation. With increase in the concentration of seaweed in biscuits, the phenolic content and anti-oxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, H2O2 radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing anti-oxidant power) increased. The sensory rating of biscuits varied from “neither like nor dislike” to “like slightly” on 9-point Hedonic scale. The study demonstrated the positive nutritional effect of C. racemosa inclusion in biscuits. Further, the health benefits of different seaweeds can be explored via incorporation in various other food systems. This could give rise to new and significant segment of health foods—“composite seaweed food products.”

Fucoidan, a fucose rich sulphated polysaccharide, generally found in cell wall matrix of brown seaweeds possess diverse physiological properties. Crude fucoidan was extracted from Sargassum wightii, a brown seaweed common along the Indian coastline. A comparison was made between hot water extraction (HWE) and ultra-sonication extraction (UAE) methods. The UAE method gave higher yield (14.61 g/100 g) than HWE method (10.59 g/100 g). The UAE fucoidan had lighter colour than HWE, as indicated by Hunter colour values. The water activity values for fucoidans obtained were 0.14 for HWE and 0.19 for UAE. The sulphate content was similar in both fucoidans (17%). However, HWE fucoidan had higher content of fucose. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra confirmed the presence of sulphate groups in both the fucoidans. The absorption bands at 1245.37 cm−1 and 1294.99 cm−1 in the HWE and UAE fucoidan respectively, indicated the S–O stretching due to sulphate groups in the fucose monomer. The thermal transition temperature as obtained by differential scanning calorimetry for HWE (127.3 °C) was lower than UAE fucoidan (131.8 °C). HWE fucoidan had higher DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power than UAE fucoidan. On the other hand, UAE fucoidan had higher metal chelating activity. The present study demonstrated that ultra-sonication can be an effective alternative for the extraction of sulphated polysaccharide from seaweed, in term of higher yield. The health benefits of Sargassum wightii and fucoidan obtained from it, could be explored by incorporation in different food systems.