Seaweed minerals: unlocking functional food potential from an Indian perspective

Minerals and trace elements are thought to be necessary for human nutrition, and seaweeds are well known for their accumulation capacity and the rate may vary based on the locations. Green seaweeds are recognized for their iron and magnesium content, whilst brown and red seaweeds prefer to accumulate manganese, iodine, sodium, potassium, and zinc. These properties provide significant opportunities for the functional food development industry to create new ingredients and generate employment. Additionally, certain seaweeds are considered as potential candidates for addressing the iodine deficiency through regular consumption, thus seaweeds hold great potential as functional foods. This review examines the role of minerals in seaweed farming followed by their impact on seaweed growth and nutritional value, the health benefits of mineral-enriched seaweed, and its market potential as a functional food. It also discusses about the limitations, challenges, pathways for popularization, and future opportunities for seaweed as a functional food. Author name: Please confirm if the author names are presented accurately and in the correct sequence (given name, middle name/initial, family name). Author 1 Given name: [S. Shek Mohamed] Last name [Ibrahim]. Author 2 Given name: [R. Suhail] Last name [Haq]. Author 3 Given name: [S. Dinesh] Last name [Kumar]. Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct. The author's given name modified accordingly.