Marine Bioactive Components

Marine organisms (like sponges, tunicates, bryozoans, mollusks, bacteria, micro-algae, macro-algae, cyanobacteria, fishes, crustaceans, seaweeds) have a valuable source of bioactive components in comparison to other terrestrial sources. Marine organisms have bioactive components such as: protein and peptides (collagen, gelatin, albumins), polysaccharides (carrageenan, agar-agar, fucans, fucanoids, chitin, chitosan, and derivatives), ω-3 fatty acids, phenolic compounds, pigments (phlorotannins, β-carotene, chlorophylls, and lutein), enzymes (gastric proteases, pepsins, gastricsins, chymosins, serine, cysteine, lipases, transglutaminase), fat, and water-soluble vitamins. These components have various nutraceutical properties such as: anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-coagulant, antioxidant, anti-hypertensive, radioprotective, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancerous, etc. Marine novel foods also explore the unexplored sources of oceans, their characteristics, capabilities, challenges, and opportunities. This chapter summarizes marine bioactive components, their sources, health perspective, and future prospects for a healthy lifestyle.