Seasonal variation in ash, lipid and protein contents of Scytosiphon lomentaria Lyngbye and Palisada perforata Bory de Saint-Vincent along Çanakkale Strait (Dardanelles), Turkey

Algae are important components of the marine ecosystem community and have been a popular subject of research because of their biological and ecological roles in the ecosystem and several active algal-derived compounds. Nowadays, agricultural and industrial resources cannot meet the needs of rapidly increasing human population. In countries especially where agricultural production is insufficient, seafood utilization gains importance. Today, the focus of algal research is the utilization of algae as a rich protein source due to their high protein contents and for their nutritional values. Moreover, regular consumption of algae may prevent some diseases and may be important in the treatment of diseases. In the present study, seasonal and geographical changes in the lipid and protein content of two macro algae from Dardanelles were investigated. According to the results, for Scystosiphon simplicissimus, the highest protein level (23.56 ± 0.54%) was recorded in Gelibolu and the minimum protein level (9.87 ± 0.52%) was recorded in Eceabat. The minimum ash amount (20.40 ± 0.44%) was recorded in Eceabat, the highest ash amount (53.05 ± 0.13%) was recorded in Gelibolu. The highest lipid amount (3.53 ± 0.87%) was recorded in Eceabat, the minimum lipid amount (1.19 ± 0.28%) was recorded in İntepe. For Palisada perforata, the highest protein amount (14.81 ± 0.73%) was recorded in winter in Eceabat. The highest lipid level (5.59 ± 0.11%) was recorded in winter in Eceabat. The minimum lipid amount (0.33 ± 0.88%) was recorded in winter in Yapıldak. The minimum protein level (7.74 ± 0.34%) was recorded in summer in Yapıldak. The highest ash amount (33.52 ± 0.66%) was recorded in winter in Yapıldak and the minimum ash amount (22.47 ± 0.86%) was recorded in summer in Eceabat.