43 studied for their health benefits. In modern medicine, some strains are used by the pharmaceutical industry to treat diseases like cancer, AIDS, inflammation, pain, and arthritis, as well as viral and bacterial infections. But there is little research on the identification and characterization of bioactive compounds in Gracilaria tikvahiae. To our knowledge, this was the first study to identify and characterize bioactive compounds in this species. Characterizing the polyphenol content and antioxidant activity is the first step in developing these algae as potential functional foods and therapeutic tools to promote human health. The following polyphenols were identified, in order of abundance: quercetin, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, kaempferol, pungenol, gallic acid, naringenin, apigenin, isorhamnetin, and protocatechuic aldehyde. Anti- oxidant activity was observed in all Gracilaria tikvahiae extracts. In the sports nutrition world, polyphenol and antioxidant supplements are used to aid in recovery. There is evidence of naturally occurring antioxidants and their effects on oxidative stress post- exercise, recovery from exercise, and perceived recovery. Gracilaria is full of these, so this is yet another potential avenue of development. Continued study could help promote natural medicine or drug discovery. I hope to return to this line of research in the future. The possi- bilities are endless. o I killed a few tanks of seaweed and would sometimes remove the dying pieces in hopes of salvaging the living ones. It took two 30-day growing cycles to harvest enough algae for testing. Next came the lab work. I made a ton of mistakes and ran multiple assays before I got it right. More than 160 species of Gracilaria have been identified, but only a small number of these species have been The research Cassandra Evans conducted with the help of Urban Farming Institute founder Jon Albee and other community garden volunteers has the potential to provide therapeutic tools to enhance human health.
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