Seaweed-Derived Polysaccharides and Peptides and Their Potential Benefits for Human Health and Food Applications

Seaweeds are promising alternative sources of valuable bioactive compounds that could be used as functional agents for human health and in the food industry. Seaweed bioactives, including peptides and polysaccharides have investigated both in vitro and in vivo systems. Therefore, they have shown several attractive biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-hypertensive, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and prebiotic properties. They could also be exploited as dietary fiber, nutraceuticals, and functional foods. The biological properties of seaweed-derived peptides and polysaccharides are extremely correlated to their chemical structures. This chapter provides information on seaweed-derived bioactive polysaccharides and peptides, as bioactive compounds, and their beneficial impacts on human health with their potential applications in the food industry.