Seaweed profiling for high-value metabolites, antioxidant activity and microplastic biosorption potential on the west coast of Ireland

The sustainability of the aquatic environment and the balanced management of natural resources have become important priorities worldwide. In this context, the realisation of Ireland’s smart economy requires fostering innovation in promising sectors, such as Blue/Green biotechnology, which encompasses activities relevant to environmental bioremediation or the harvest of natural high-value compounds.

Seaweeds represent an indigenous natural resource, particularly along the west coast of Ireland, and are of high relevance to the food and cosmetic sectors. Due to their location on the seashore, they are also at the interface between marine and terrestrial environments, which have increasingly become under pressure from human activities. Microplastics (MPs) in particular, have been recognised as a global problem by G7 leaders who have acknowledged that it has effects on
“marine and coastal life and ecosystems and potentially human health”.

This research will weave together elements of novel biomonitoring (MP pollution) with the biotechnological exploitation of the important natural resources that seaweeds represent (in terms of high-value compounds such as bioactive pigments or fatty acids). In this regard, a series of experiments will help

1. to determine the antioxidant potential as well as carbohydrate, protein and lipid content in commercially relevant seaweeds collected along a latitudinal gradient on the west coast of Ireland,
2. to characterise the profiles of high-value fatty acids and pigments of under-studied brown seaweeds,
3. to investigate, using analytical chemistry techniques, the presence of novel phytosterol and polyphenolic compounds within seaweeds, and 4) to determine whether seaweeds can act as hotspots for the accumulation of microplastics on the intertidal zone.

The outputs of this project will provide new knowledge and methodologies, which will benefit the food and cosmetic sectors. It is anticipated that the results will allow for recommendations on national policy development regarding MP pollution.