When it comes to the content of heart-beneficial bioactive peptides, algae can compete with dairy products, reports the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Maria Hayes and her colleagues Ciaran Fitzgerald, Elmear Gallagher and Deniz Tasdemir of Teagasc Food Research Center in Dublin noted an increased interest in bioactive peptides, obtained mainly from milk, as ingredients in so-called functional foods. Functional food not only nourishes, but also has a healing or prophylactic effect in the case of certain diseases.
Algae can also be a valuable alternative source of substances beneficial to health. They have been eaten for centuries, for example, in Japan (Nori), Hawaii (Ulva fasciata – the locals call it limu palahalaha) or on the European shores of the Atlantic (red algae called dulse).
A review of nearly 100 scientific papers has led to the conclusion that some of the proteins present in algae act just like bioactive peptides in dairy products, lowering blood pressure almost like commonly used ACE inhibitors. Algae come in many species and are easy to cultivate, therefore they could be an excellent source of new bioactive ingredients, conclude the authors of the study (PAP).