Polyphenols are the most abundant macroalgae secondary metabolites that act as protective agents against hostile environmental conditions. They possess diverse and complex structures, ranging from simple phenolic acids to polymeric structures up to 650 KDa. Brown macroalgae possesses up to 15% dry content of polymeric polyphenols associated with potent bioactivities (e.g. radical scavenging, antimicrobial). Due to these properties, they are promising active agents for both food and packaging applications
This project will investigate the structural diversity of brown macroalgae polyphenols, their structure-bioactivity relationships and their role as bioactive components for packaging solutions.
The project will require a literature review, extraction methodology development, and advanced chromatography and spectrometric techniques.
The project is aligned to UN's SGD:
