Antioxidant activity
of marine algae may arise from pigments such as
chlorophylls and carotenoids, vitamins and vitamin precursors
including a-tocopherol, b-carotene, niacin, thiamin
and ascorbic acid, phenolics such as polyphenolics and hydroquinones
and flavonoids, phospholipids particularly
phosphatidylcholine, terpenoids, peptides, and other antioxidative
substances, which directly or indirectly contribute to
the inhibition or suppression of oxidation processes.
Among them, phenolics are claimed to be the major active
constituents that account for the antioxidant potential of
marine algae. The total phenolic content has been demonstrated
to correlate well with the antioxidant potency of
crude extracts of algae