Seaweed: Nutritional and gastronomic perspective. A review

Abstract

Seaweed are organisms rich in many bioactive compounds such as proteins, minerals, vitamins, fibers, essential amino acids, pigments, and fatty acids, which give them extraordinary antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties. Seaweed could potentially contribute to future global security in functional foods and nutraceuticals and could be an important compound in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries in drug development, among other uses. This review focuses on the gastronomic point of view and discusses the compositional and nutritional characteristics, topics related to consumption, current applications and technologies, limitations and challenges in production, and market developments in this rising market.