SCREENING OF PHYTOCHEMICALS, FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND IN-VITRO ANALYSIS OF ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTY OF GREEN EDIBLE SEAWEED CAULERPA LENTILLIFERA (FAMILY: CAULERPACEAE)

Marine algae are one of the largest producers of biomass in the marine environment. They produce a wide variety of chemically active metabolites in their surroundings, potentially as an aid to protect themselves against the other settling organisms. These seaweeds are an immense source of bioactive molecules for the exploration of novel drugs. The present investigation deals with the screening of phytochemical composition, fatty acid composition and antioxidant activity of the green edible seaweed Caulerpa lentillifera (Family: Caulerpaceae) (TSN: 6973 & APHIA ID: 211475). The seaweed was collected from Mandapam Coast, Tamil Nadu, different solvents were used for the preparation of seaweed extract. The Phytochemical constituents of seaweeds, such as carbohydrate, protein, tannins, phytosterols, glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, diterpenes, resins and saponins of C. lentillifera were analyzed using standard methods. Fatty acid profile was investigated using Gas chromatography Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Various fatty acid components are analyzed using GC-MS and nearly 35 components were recorded.  In the present investigation, the in-vitro analysis of antioxidant property has been confirmed. From this study, it is evident that Caulerpa lentillifera contains various bioactive compounds and can be recommended as seaweed of phytopharmaceutical importance. The seaweed extracts showed high antioxidant activity which is influenced by its phytochemical and fatty acid contents.