Chemical Characterization and Antioxidant Activities of Seahorse ( Hippocampus comes ) After Long-Term Frozen Storage

Seahorses have economic value due to demand for dried materials in traditional medicine. This study evaluated the chemical composition, preliminary cytotoxicity, and antioxidant activities of Hippocampus comes powder, protein hydrolysate, and ethanol extract before and after 8 months of storage at −20 ± 2°C. The hydrolysate showed the strongest ABTS activity (IC50: 0.05 and 0.09 mg/mL before and after storage). The ethanol extract had the highest FRAP (896.83 and 776.83 µmol Fe(II)/g) and CUPRAC (549.92 and 509.92 µmol ascorbic acid/g) values. Storage reduced antioxidant activity by up to 38%. The hydrolysate showed the lowest preliminary toxicity.