Maha Attjioui is a Research Scientist with Marigot Ltd, a seaweed biotechnology company, and is a Principal Investigator at Shannon ABC. Maha has recently published an article with Journal of Nutritional Science entitled “Comparison of edible brown algae extracts for the inhibition of intestinal carbohydrate digestive enzymes involved in glucose release from the diet”. To view Maha’s article please click here.

This publication is a result of a successful project funded by Enterprise Ireland and Marigot Ltd. The study investigated the mechanisms in which different brown seaweed extracts with varying composition and molecular weight distributions inhibited α-glucosidase, an essential enzyme located at the brush border of the small intestinal epithelium. The MANE pure seaweed extract from Ascophyllum nodosum was the best overall performer in terms of its potential to reduce the glucose released by intestinal enzymes for both starch- and carbohydrate-rich diets. The reported data provide a better understanding of what compounds are responsible for the inhibitory effects of seaweed extracts on these enzymes. This information should be of value in the evaluation and assessment of the potential use of different seaweed extracts in the control of postprandial hyperglycaemia.

During the past 24 years, Marigot Ltd has created and developed a market for the calcified seaweed Lithothamnion sp. This unique marine resource is a rich source of essential minerals and has gained application in both the animal health and human food and nutrition sectors. Given Marigot’s seaweed background utilisation of other species has always been part of the commercial development plan.