Marine Bioactive Compounds and Their Health Benefits: A Review

Abstract

The significance of marine creatures as a source of unique bioactive compounds is expanding. Marine organisms constitue nearly half of the wordwide biodiversity; thus, oceans and sea present a vast resource for new substances and it is considered the largest remaining reservoir of beneficial natural molecules that maight be used as functional constituents in the food sector. This review is an update to the information about recent functional seafood compounds (proteins, peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, sterols, polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, phenolic compounds, photosynthetic pigments, vitamins, and minerals) focusing on their potential use and health benefits.