Sea Food Bioactives for Health and Wellness

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not simply the absence of disease or illness. The importance of seafood having a unique and different type of bioactive compounds is increasing. Organisms in shellfish make up nearly half of the world's biodiversity and are the largest reservoir of beneficial natural molecules that could be used as functional components. The main functional compounds in crustaceans are proteins, peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, sterols, polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, phenolic compounds, photosynthetic pigments, vitamins and minerals that have health benefits. The demand for new substances for the treatment of human diseases such as cancer, microbial infections and inflammatory processes has increased the exploration of new bioactive compounds. Peptides isolated from fish and algae polysaccharides have been reported to have antitumor, anticoagulant and antihypercholesterolemic activity. Marine bacteria and fish oils contain a large amount of omega-3 fatty acids, while algae and shellfish, such as crustaceans, have powerful antioxidants which include carotenoids and phenolic compounds. This review gives information about uses and types of bioactives compounds in sea foods. Marine resources offer important benefits for the human body and can be applied in many fields, like pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. Functional foods can be easily developed from seafood as they are widely available and have the ability to prevent some diseases and cure some of them. Various types of shellfish and sea foods offer a huge resource for finding new compounds and are considered the largest remaining reservoir of natural molecules that can be used as functional ingredients in the food industry.