In the current review, compositional data on fucoidans extracted from more than hundred different species were surveyed through the available literature. The analysis of crude extracts, purified extracts or carefully isolated fractions is included in tabular form, discriminating the seaweed source by its taxonomical order (and sometimes the family). This survey was able to encounter some similarities between the different species, as well as some differences. Fractions which were obtained through anion-exchange chromatography or cationic detergent precipitation showed the best separation patterns: the fractions with low charge correspond mostly to highly heterogeneous fucoidans, containing (besides fucose) other monosaccharides like xylose, galactose, mannose, rhamnose, and glucuronic acid, and contain low-sulfate/high uronic acid proportions, whereas those with higher total charge usually contain mainly fucose, accompanied with variable proportions of galactose, are highly sulfated and show almost no uronic acids. The latter fractions are usually the most biologically active. Fractions containing intermediate proportions of both polysaccharides appear at middle ionic strengths. This pattern is common for all the orders of brown seaweeds, and most differences appear from the seaweed source (habitat, season), and from the diverse extraction, purification, and analytitcal methods. The Dictyotales appear to be the most atypical order, as usually large proportions of mannose and uronic acids appear, and thus they obscure the differences between the fractions with different charge. Within the family Alariaceae (order Laminariales), the presence of sulfated galactofucans with high galactose content (almost equal to that of fucose) is especially noteworthy.

在当前的综述中，通过现有文献调查了从一百多个不同物种中提取的岩藻依聚糖的成分数据。粗提物、纯化提取物或仔细分离的级分的分析以表格形式包含，通过其分类顺序（有时是科）区分海藻来源。这项调查能够发现不同物种之间的一些相似之处，以及一些差异。通过阴离子交换色谱或阳离子洗涤剂沉淀获得的馏分显示出最佳的分离模式：低电荷的馏分大部分对应于高度异质的岩藻依聚糖，含有（除了岩藻糖之外）其他单糖，如木糖、半乳糖、甘露糖、鼠李糖和葡萄糖醛酸，并含有低硫酸盐/高糖醛酸比例，而总电荷较高的那些通常主要含有岩藻糖，并伴有不同比例的半乳糖，高度硫酸化，几乎不含糖醛酸。后面的部分通常最具生物活性。含有中间比例的两种多糖的级分出现在中等离子强度。这种模式对于所有棕色海藻目的都是常见的，并且大多数差异来自海藻来源（栖息地、季节）以及不同的提取、纯化和分析方法。网皮目似乎是最非典型的目，因为通常出现大量的甘露糖和糖醛酸，因此它们掩盖了具有不同电荷的级分之间的差异。在五加科（海带目）中，半乳糖含量高（几乎等于岩藻糖）的硫酸化半乳岩藻聚糖的存在尤其值得注意。