Brown seaweeds are rich in polyphenols with a basic building block of 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene (phloroglucinol) and were investigated as a bioresource for the extraction of polyphenols for biopolymers and bioproducts. Species of seaweed with high contents of polyphenols were identified through meta-analysis and selected for the comparative assessment of the extraction efficiency of polyphenols using microwave assisted (MAE) vs. conventional solid-liquid (SLE) extraction. Out of ten species from Australia and New Zealand screened by SLE, Carpophyllum flexuosum (8.6%) and C. plumosum (7.5%) had the highest contents of polyphenols and were selected for MAE along with commercially available Ecklonia radiata. C. flexuosum was identified as the key species for extraction of polyphenols, with a 70% increase in yield using optimized MAE (aqueous, biomass:solvent ratio 1:30, 160°C, 3 min) compared to SLE. The cell-wall bound fraction of polyphenols in brown seaweed may be larger than previously thought and is accessible through MAE.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	hydrothermal liquefaction, hydrothermal upgrading, phenolic compounds, biorefinery, macroalgae, bioproducts
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Plant Biology
Research Field:	Phycology (incl. Marine Grasses)
Objective Division:	Plant Production and Plant Primary Products
Objective Group:	Other Plant Production and Plant Primary Products
Objective Field:	Plant Production and Plant Primary Products not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Wright, JT (Dr Jeffrey Wright)
ID Code:	121383
Year Published:	2017
Web of Science® Times Cited:	3
Deposited By:	Ecology and Biodiversity
Deposited On:	2017-09-27
Last Modified:	2018-05-29
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