Chemical Composition of Seaweeds

Abstract

Algae form a diverse group of organisms because of their morphotypes, cellular structure, and their proportion ranging from several centimeters to tens of meters. Due to their high nutritional value, seaweeds are traditionally used for various purposes such as food worldwide, and especially in Asian countries. Nowadays, the utilization of seaweed as food, particularly as spice and delicacies is extended in western countries due to the change of the life style and dietary conventions. Because of high content of bioactive compounds, they have been used for the production of pharmaceutical and medicinal products. The chapter is focused on the various components of seaweed such as proteins and amino acids, minerals, vitamins, lipids and dietary fiber.