Assessment of Fatty Acid and Amino Acid Composition of Macroalgae from the Persian Gulf to Characterize their Suitability for Nutritional Supplements

Macroalgae, commonly known as seaweed, can be found worldwide. Seaweeds offer a novel dietary ingredient because of their excellent biochemical composition and health protective effects of carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids (AAs), fatty acids (FAs), and bioactive compounds. This study aimed to investigate and compare the AAs and FAs profile of 10 green, red, and brown seaweeds collected from Iranian coasts. The results indicated that, red seaweeds had a much higher ash content than the other species. Furthermore, red seaweeds had the highest and lowest lipid contents (1.5–4% D.W.), with significantly ( p < 0.05) elevated concentrations of lipids observed in Champia globulifera . Palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:2) were the predominant saturated and unsaturated FAs found in all assayed species. The highest eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA) were found in Cystoseira myrica (6.02% methyl esters of FA [FAME]). All species had n-6/n-3 FA ratios (approx. ≤1) favorable for human health. The protein content was the highest in the brown species (4.3% D.W.). All samples presented a complete profile of essential AAs. In all cases, leucine and phenylalanine were predominant. The ratio of essential AAs/non-essential AAs (EAAs/NEAAs) ranged from 1.17 to 2.65, which was higher in the brown seaweeds compared with the other species. These findings highlight the potential of using seaweeds as an alternative and sustainable source of fatty acids and amino acids for nutritional supplements and industrial food processing.