Investigation on the seasonal variations of pigments, antioxidants and nutritional composition in some macroalgae species distributed in the İskenderun Bay

In the present study, the seasonal variations in pigments, antioxidants and some nutritional composition of different macroalgae species distributed in the İskenderun Bay were aimed to investigate. Seasonal sampling was done from three localities in the coastal area of İskenderun Bay and P. pavonica, J. rubens, S. schmiperi ve D. dichotoma were collected as macroalgae species for the analysis. Pigment analysis (as chlorophyll-a and carotenoids) and nutritional composition analysis (as crude ash, moisture, lipid and protein) were carried out. Phenolic substance and flavonoids as antioxidant analyses were also carried out. Contents of pigments, antioxidants and nutritional composition were changed according to the species and the sampling seasons. The highest and lowest protein contents were determined in D. dichotoma and S. schimperi respectively. S. schimperi had the highest lipid content whereas J. rubens had the lowest lipid content. The highest and lowest phenolic substance were determined in S. schimperi and P. pavonica respectively. S. schimperi was observed to have the highest flavonoids while J. rubens gave the lowest flavonoid content. The lowest chlorophyll-a and carotenoid content were determined in J. rubens, but the highest chlorophyll-a was determined in D. dichotoma. These results showed that changes in the biochemical contents of investigated macroalgae are affected by environmental factors and the types of species.