Ulva spp. are edible seaweeds from which protein can be extracted. On top of the protein, Ulva spp. holds a range of bioactive components, among other the fibrous ulvan. Thus, Ulva is high in dietary fiber that may promote gastrointestinal health (Kidgell et al., 2019). Ulva has four cell wall polysaccharides (ulvan, cellulose, xyloglucan, and glucuronan), which together account for up to 45% of the dry weight biomass (Lahaye et al., 1997). The active constituent of Ulva is the soluble ulvan, which is a gelling sulfated polysaccharide with biological activities including antioxidative, immunomodulating, antiviral, antihyperlipidemic and anticancer activity (Kidgell et al., 2019 and many more). Consequently, ulvan is of significant interest as a constituent in human health. Ulvan is a cell wall polysaccharide that contributes to 9 to 36% dry weight of Ulva and is mainly composed of sulfated rhamnose, uronic acids (glucuronic acid and iduronic acid) and xylose (Lahaye et al., 2007). Xyloglucan and glucuronan, two other soluble polysaccharides in Ulva, are only relatively minor constituents of the cell wall polysaccharides (Percival & Wold, 1963; Lahaye et al., 1997b). Of the four cell wall polysaccharides present within Ulva, ulvan is the only one to contain both rhamnose and iduronic acid, which are bioactive compounds (Quemener et al., 1997). Ulvan can be isolated by acid extraction and ultrafiltration but pre-treatment with water at higher temperature above room temperature and pH are crucial parameters for the increased yield of ulvan (Kidgell et al., 2019).
The aim of this project is to:
Supervision
The student will be aligned with a 10-15 people group working with alternative proteins and natural colorants biorefinery, stability and application. Ad hoc supervision in the lab will be provided. At weekly meetings, the student will present her work and discuss design of experiments, results and perspective of her work. The student will present her data at a midterm seminar.
The project is aligned to UN's SGD:
