DreamWEEDme - Design of high-pRofit fostEring bioActive coMpounds through integral valorization of seaWEEDs infesting the MEditerranean sea

The overriding goal of the DreaWEEDme research project is the valorization of bioactive compounds in seaweeds infesting the Mediterranean sea. Seaweeds are macrophytic algae that represent marine resources capable of supporting and pursuing the objectives of the Sustainable Blue Economy and the Bio-Based Circular Economy. Nowadays, they are attracting increasing attention for their multipurpose applications both in biofuel production and as alternative healthy food and renewable drug source. It is well-known that edible seaweeds are rich in bioactive compounds such as soluble dietary fibers, proteins, peptides, minerals, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidants. Less information is present on infesting seaweeds, considering that more than 800 macroalgae taxa are present in Italy. Algal blooms, especially in the Adriatic sea, can affect human health and have far-reaching consequences for the environment and the economy. Coordinated collection and valorization of infesting seaweeds could be an intervention to mitigate the eutrophication processes in line with the European Union (EU) waste law (Regulation, 2008/98/EC), where recycling is a priority. The aim of this project will be the comprehensive characterization and valorization of infesting seaweeds since there are still unexploited opportunities to maximize their valorization potential in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries, thus maintaining the circularity of financial and biological resources. This project will develop a wide array of innovative analytical tools for the characterization, isolation, and purification of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids, vitamins, lipids, polysaccharides, peptides, and heavy metals, with the scope to expand the profitability of infesting seaweeds business. In particular, a comparison between commercial and infesting seaweeds will be carried out regarding bioactive molecules and heavy metals to highlight specific composition differences and valorize a marine resource for which an environmental issue is related. After a complete charactrization, attention will be paid to developing cutting-edge, cost-effective analytical solutions for the purification of selected bioactive compounds from the extracts. These strategies will be based on an innovative multi-column, highly automated technology, in which separation is accomplished under continuous countercurrent conditions to maximize purification yield and recovery. Purified compounds will be assayed with suitable in vitro and cellular-based experiments for sorting out multifunctional compounds endowed with antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, and hypocholesterolemic activities. Multivariate chemometric models will be built and validated to correlate biological activity to extract/fraction.