Formulation of Polymeric Microparticles Using Eco-Friendly Extracted Crude Fucoidans from Edible Brown Seaweed Undaria pinnatifida

What if the secret to sustainable food packaging and supplements lies in a humble seaweed? Scientists have turned brown seaweed into tiny, eco-friendly microparticles with surprising versatility.

Seaweeds are more than just sushi wrappers. They are packed with bioactive compounds—phenolics, polysaccharides, proteins, and vitamins—that the food industry covets. But extracting them sustainably is the real challenge. Enter pressurized hot water extraction, a green technique that uses only water and heat to coax out these valuable molecules from the edible brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida. The team tested temperatures from 160 to 220 °C, discovering a sweet spot: fucoidan, a key polysaccharide, peaked at 160 °C, while antioxidant activity and phloroglucinol content soared at 220 °C. The real magic happened when they encapsulated these fractions in mannitol, a sugar alcohol. Using the 220 °C fraction alone, microparticle production yields hit nearly 75%. Mixing fractions in different ratios—3:1, 1:1, and 1:3—kept yields above 67%, with the 1:3 ratio (160 °C:220 °C) again approaching 75%. The resulting microparticles thickened water dispersions, showing non-Newtonian behavior, with the highest viscosity from particles made with a 3:1 ratio of 160 °C to 200 °C fractions. This isn't just lab trivia; it's a step toward sustainable encapsulation for food and pharma.

Key Points

• Green extraction at 160–220 °C yields fucoidan and antioxidants.
• Mannitol encapsulation achieves up to 75% microparticle yield.
• Microparticles thicken water, showing non-Newtonian flow.