Antioxidant and bioactivity assays of seaweed constituents from red seaweeds

Antioxidant capacity, radical scavenging, total phenolics and UV-absorbance analysis

Antioxidants and bioactive compounds from plant-based sources have many applications in for instance food, feed and cosmetics. Red seaweeds possess high concentrations of these bioactive constituents. The main goal of this research is to set up, test and validate bioassays specifically designed to be used on samples from red seaweeds. Multiple extraction and purification steps will be needed in order to properly analyse and identify different subgroups within these constituents. Having these bioassay protocols specialized for red seaweeds would increase their precision and robustness and would aid in better determination of bioactivity from different extraction streams from seaweed biomass. The developed techniques will be used on cultivated samples.

Requirements

We are seeking a HBO/WO student with an interest in biochemistry / analytical chemistry. A student that is interested in laboratory work on bioactivity analyses and constituent extraction methods. Students that hold a keen interest in research on the cutting edge between marine biology and biochemistry are encouraged to apply. This project is part of a Dutch project on the biorefinery of red seaweeds.