Nutritional composition and antioxidant potential of brown seaweed ( Padina minor ) from Bengkulu, Indonesia

Seaweed is a popular food that has potential as a new source of bioactive compounds for humans. Bengkulu Province has abundant natural seaweed resources, one of which is Padina minor. Despite that, no research has been conducted on its nutritional composition and antioxidant potential thus far. Understanding this information is critical for utilizing P. minor, particularly in the food industry. This research was carried out to examine the nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of P. minor to provide useful information, especially for coastal communities. The seaweed powder were characterized for their nutritional composition (water, ash, protein, lipid, crude fiber and carbohydrates), while the fresh seaweeds were extracted using methanol. The methanol extract was analyzed to determine its antioxidant activity using DPPH solution. The results showed that the largest nutritional components in P. minor are water, carbohydrates and ash. The IC 50 value of P. minor was 11.26 ppm, exhibited very strong antioxidants, similar with ascorbic acid (IC 50 = 3.27 ppm). Based on this, P. minor from Bengkulu has the potential to be developed as an alternative source of minerals, dietary food and a source of antioxidant.