Impact of pre-treatment strategies for enhance conversion of Irish Brown Seaweed into high value ingredients using a biorefinery approach.

This paper investigates the impact of different pre-treatments on the bio-refinery processes of wild-harvested Irish brown seaweeds, specifically Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus . Employing a combination of mechanical and chemical methodologies, including drying, soaking, and the application of specific reagents, we aimed to optimize the extraction of valuable polysaccharides such as laminarin, fucoidan, and alginate, alongside protein recovery. The research highlighted the significant influence of pre-treatment methods on extraction efficiencies and polysaccharide purity, indicating that drying is beneficial for improving the purity and yield of laminarin and fucoidan, with laminarin purity as high as 61.46% in Ascophyllum nodosum . The study also demonstrates a complex interplay in alginate extraction across different treatments, with fresh treatments achieving up to 93.15% purity in Fucus vesiculosus. FT-IR provided insight into structural alterations and functional group exposure of extracted polysaccharides, indicating the potential of pre-treatment strategies in enhancing the yield and quality of bioactive compounds. These findings advance our understanding of seaweed bio-refinery processes and underscore the importance of pre-treatment selection in maximizing the sustainable utilization of marine resources for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and agricultural applications.