Antioxidant Activity of Extracellular Polysaccharides (EPS) from Marine Microalga Tetraselmis tertiolecta Depending upon their Molecular Weight

Abstract

The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize the extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) from defatted microalga Tetraselmis KCTC 12236 BP (T1) and Tetraselmis KCTC 12432 BP (T2), both were isolated and used microalgal biomasses for the production of biodiesel. The difference of molecular diversity of EPS in T1 were obviously observed from each sample based on MALDI-TOF mass spectra analysis. Higher productivity and significant antioxidant activity were only observed from the EPS isolated from T1 than that of T2. Therefore, EPS from T1 were used for further study to elucidate the relationship between the EPS and its biological activity. These results suggest the importance of the understanding of primary structure to address the biological role of EPS in microalgal species.