ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Biology
Fatty Acid Profile, Nutritional Potential and Biological Activity of Green Macroalgae from the Northern Tunisian Coast
Wafa Cherif 1
Leila Ktari 2
Amel ISMAIL 2
Monia El Bour EL Bour 2
1. Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (Tunisia), Tunis, Tunisia
2. Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Salambo, Tunisia
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Abstract
Marine macroalgae possess very complex and diverse lipid composition. Fatty acids from marine macroalgae are a sustainable and valuable source of essential nutrients with significant health benefits, including cardiovascular protection, neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory properties, and wide applications in the nutraceutical and pharmacological industries. To evaluate the fatty acids composition of macroalgae, from Ulvophyceae class, collected from northern Tunisian coast Cap Zebib (CZ), Rafraf (R) Ghar el Melh lagoon (G), Carthage bay (C), La Marsa (M), Tunis North Lake (L)), ten species were studied (Bryopsis muscosa (R), Caulerpa prolifera (L), Caulerpa racemosa (R), Cladophora laetivirens (CZ, R), Codium fragile (M), Codium tomentosum (R), Dasycladus vermicularis (CZ), Halimeda tuna (M), Ulva rigida (G) and Ulva linza (C). Fatty acid contents and specific profiles were determined by gas-chromatography. To assess the nutritional quality and potential health benefits of the studied macroalgae, the unsaturation index atherogenic and thrombogenic index ((U.I.), AI and TI) were calculated). Additionally, the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of crude organic algal extracts against pathogenic bacteria and two microalgal species were evaluated. As results, total fatty acid contents, expressed per percentage of dry weight, ranged from 0.04% to 0.70%. Generally, saturated fatty acids (SFA) were major components percentage of total FA content 75.02%, with palmitic acid (C16:0) being the most abundant and Codium tomentosum containing the highest amount. D. vermicularis showed the better profile in terms of FA composition with a low AI (1.75) and a very low TI (0.4), making it an excellent source of healthy lipids. Ulva linza and Bryopsis muscosa exhibited the most important spectrum of antibacterial activity, inhibiting the growth of multiple strains as P. aeruginosa and E. faecalis. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the lipid profiles of some green macroalgae and their potential applications in food and drug industries, with a particular emphasis on their health implications and antimicrobial properties.
Summary
Keywords
Atherogenic index, Fatty Acids, green macroalgae, Mediterranean, Thrombogenic index
Received
10 November 2025
Accepted
02 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Cherif, Ktari, ISMAIL and EL Bour. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Wafa Cherif
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