Giulianna Gamero-Vega¹, María Palacios-Palacios², Vilma Quitral^{1, 3,}

This review describes the nutritional composition and polyphenol content of red algae. The nutrient composition of red algae is highly varied between different genera. Red algae are low-calorie foods, given their high concentration of protein and dietary fiber. They also have higher protein content than brown and green algae, with average values as high as 18.8 g/100 g. The digestibility of red algae proteins is moderate, however, due to their high level of dietary fiber and polyphenols. They have low fat content, but the quality of their fatty acids is very high. They contain essential fatty acids, also oleic acid, arachidonic acid, EPA, and DHA, which are considered beneficial to health. The omega-6/omega-3 ratio is very low (median = 0.8) which is very beneficial for human health. Red algae also have very high amounts of dietary fiber-higher than in terrestrial vegetables-and are especially rich in soluble fiber. It also contains minerals, in high concentrations; among those sodium and iodine stand out. Their sodium/potassium ratio is low, so consumption of red algae would not imply risk for people with hypertension or cardiovascular diseases. The polyphenol content in red algae is very high, but is lower than brown algae.

seaweeds, algae, rhodophyta, red algae, porphyra