Separation and characterization of fucoxanthin carotenoid isomers from edible brown seaweed

Abstract

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid which currently gaining popularity as a function food and pharmaceutical benefit. Previously, it was reported that the inhibitory activity of 13-cis and 13’-cis fucoxanthin isomers on cancer cell growth was stronger than that of the all-trans form. An average amount between 1.70 to 7.89 mg/g d.w. of fucoxanthin can be extracted brown seaweed of Sargassum species, which are naturally grown on almost of Indonesia’s coast. While in 2019, the production of Sargassum has reached to 1340 tons with value of 304,000 USD for alginate purpose. Therefore, a strategic processing of the brown seaweed to produce highly valuable bioactive compound has attracted our research group to study. Recently, our research group has successfully developed simultaneous purification of fucoxanthin isomers by open-column and high-performance liquid chromatography techniques. We developed the method prior to study the effect of drying on the recovery of fucoxanthin and its isomers, which have potential bioactivity and health benefits for humans. Here, our methods will be presented and reviewed.