gms | German Medical Science

Fucoidan is a sulphated biopolymer present in brown seaweeds and some other marine organisms. Current commercial fucoidan grades are derived from brown seaweeds, and their structure is dependent on seaweed source. The importance of structure will depend on type of application. With applications potentially ranging from entirely physical to complex bioactivity it will be important to focus on detailed structural characterization. Structural differentiation represents both an opportunity and a challenge, since commercial products require certainty of supply, meaning fucoidan for industrial applications will require access to more than one source and fucoidan needs to be of consistent quality. Focus on reliable and preferably simple analytical tools and methods, will be required to support development of a fucoidan market. This is just one of several aspects related to broader commercial use of fucoidans, and this presentation will focus on how fucoidan can be brought from the stage of being an interesting molecule to a real ingredient in products on the market.