Gamze Turan

Seaweeds for Food and Industrial Applications

Marine macroalgae, or the term seaweeds, are plant-like organisms that generally live attached to rock or other hard substrata in coastal areas. The classification into divisions is based on various properties such as pigmentation, chemical nature of photosynthetic storage product, the organization of photosynthetic membranes, and other morphological fea‐ tures. Traditionally, they belong to four different groups, empirically distinguished since the mid-nineteenth century on the basis of color: blue-green algae (phylum: Cyanophyta, up to 1500 species), red algae (phylum: Rhodophyta, about 6000 species), brown algae (phylum: Ochrophyta, classes: Phaeophyceae, about 1750 species), and green algae (phylum: Chlorophyta, classes: Bryopsidophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Dasycladophyceae, Prasinophy‐ ceae, and Ulvophyceae, about 1200 species). However, each of these groups has microscop‐ ics, if not unicellular, represantatives. All seaweeds at some stage in their life cycles are unicellular, as spores or zygotes, and may be temporarily planktonic. The blue-green algae are widesperead on temperate rocky and sandy shores and have occasionally been acknowledged in seaweed floras. Seaweeds are found growing throughouth the world oceans and seas none is found to be poisonous (Bold and Wyne, 1985; Guiry, 2009; Lobban and Harrison, 2000). Why seaweed is important? Most people don’t realize how impor‐ tant marine macroalgae are, both ecologically and commercially. In fact, seaweeds are crucial primary producer in oceanic aquatic food webs. They are rich both in minerals and essential trace elements, and raw materials for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry (Chap‐ man, 1970). Seaweed is a very versatile product widely used for food in direct human consumption. Its classified taxonomically as algae and they represent a food group that is not normally ingested in unprocessed form to any great extent in Western societies. Humankind is no strangers to the use of algae as a food source. Even if seaweeds have been used as a human food since ancient times, particularly in the region bounded by China, the

Large-scale bioprospecting of cyanobacteria, micro- and macroalgae from the Aegean Sea

Marine organisms constitute approximately one-half of the total global biodiversity, being rich reservoirs of structurally diverse biofunctional components. The potential of cyanobacteria, micro- and macroalgae as sources of antimicrobial, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, and anticoagulant compounds has been reported extensively. Nonetheless, biological activities of marine fauna and flora of the Aegean Sea have remained poorly studied when in comparison to other areas of the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, we screened the antimicrobial, antifouling, anti-inflammatory and anticancer potential of in total 98 specimens collected from the Aegean Sea. Ethanol extract of diatom Amphora cf capitellata showed the most promising antimicrobial results against Candida albicans while the extract of diatom Nitzschia communis showed effective results against Gram-positive bacterium, S. aureus. Extracts from the red alga Laurencia papillosa and from three Cystoseira species exhibited selective antiproliferative activity against cancer cell lines and an extract from the brown alga Dilophus fasciola showed the highest anti-inflammatory activity as measured in primary microglial and astrocyte cell cultures as well as by the reduction of proinflammatory cytokines. In summary, our study demonstrates that the Aegean Sea is a rich source of species that possess interesting potential for developing industrial applications.

Intensive Sea Weed Aquaculture: A Potent Solution Against Global Warming

On the basis of current understanding of the relationship between climate change and energy policy, development of an effective and multistructured renewable energy sector is crucial, as acknowledged in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the fourteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-14), held in December 2008 in Ponzan, Poland. The worldwide energy demand is increasing rapidly as many industries and populations are rapidly expanding. Since fossil fuels are finite resources and their combustion leads to a further increase of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, SO2, and NO x , their continued use is not sustainable. Today, renewable energy sources supply 14% of the total global energy demand. Some expect that in 2040, 50% of the world energy supply will come from renewable sources (Demirbas, 2008). Additional efforts and further research and development on biofuels, toward environmentally and economically sustainable processes, are essential for the full exploitation of this given market opportunity.

First Record of the Invasive Green Seaweed Caulerpa taxifolia (Bryopsidales) on the Coast of Turkey

Abstract The first record of the invasive green alga Caulerpa taxifolia in Yolluca Military Base located near Cesmeaalti port (Izmir, Turkey), far away from the other affected areas, is reported, thus reinforcing the hypothesis of anthropogenic dissemination of this alga in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Turkish Mezzes Formulated with Protein-Rich Green Sea Vegetable (Chlorophyta), Ulva rigida, Cultured in Onshore Tank System

Eating macroalgae (seaweeds) is considered an unusual activity in Turkey, although macroalgae have been known and prized for their nutritional purposes for many years in the Orient. The present study examines the addition of macroalgae to Turkish daily diets. Most Turkish meals begin with mezze, which is literally “a pleasant taste” and is probably derived from the Arabic word mezaq, which means “the taste, the savor of a thing.” The green macroalga Ulva rigida Agardh 1824 (Chlorophyta) was used to develop alternative protein-rich Turkish mezzes, using otherwise traditional recipes. U. rigida was reared in tanks. The yield of U. rigida in an onshore tank system demonstrated the potential of U. rigida to produce marine biomass. The U. rigidas were used in macroalga-based mezzes. The macroalga substituted grape leaves, spinach, lamb’s lettuce, salicornia, or lettuce and resulted in higher protein content than those vegetables. The prepared Ulva mezzes were tested in regard to taste, smell, color, texture, and general appearance and scored “pretty good” and “perfect.” The results suggest that Ulva can be produced and utilized for protein rich mezzes in Turkey.