Unraveling the Lipidome and Antioxidant Activity of Native Bifurcaria bifurcata and Invasive Sargassum muticum Seaweeds: A Lipid Perspective on How Systemic Intrusion May Present an Opportunity.

Brown seaweeds are known to present components with appealing bioactive properties eliciting great interest for industrial applications. However, their lipid content is generally disregarded beyond their fatty acid (FA) composition. This study thoroughly characterized the lipid profile of two brown seaweeds collected from Portuguese coast, the nativeBifurcaria bifurcataand the invasiveSargassum muticumspecies, and bioprospecting for antioxidant activity. An integrated state-of-the-art approach including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-ESI-MS/MS), allowed a comprehensive picture of FA and polar lipid content. Polar lipid profile ofB. bifurcataandS. muticumincluded 143 and 217 lipid species respectively, distributed between glycolipids, phospholipids, and betaine lipids. Some of the lipid species found have been assigned biological activity and contain ofn-3 andn-6 FA.Sargassum muticumpresented the highestn-3 FA content. Low concentrations of extracts of both seaweeds displayed antioxidant activity, withS. muticumpresenting more promising results. These findings contribute to the nutritional and industrial exploitation of both seaweeds, highlighting their relevance as viable sources of bioactive and added-value compounds.Sargassum muticumpresented interesting lipid composition and bioactivity, which may represent an accessible opportunity for the exploitation of this invasive seaweed, especially taking advantage ofSargassumblooms.