Fucoxanthin is an oxygenated carotenoid with a broad spectrum of bioactivities, ranging from antioxidant activity to antimicrobial activities. Micro-algae are well-recognized resources for their production of fucoxanthin, which can be enhanced by cell culture and genetic engineering, and macro-algae or seaweeds are readily available natural resources for harvesting and fucoxanthin purification. Prior sample preparation methods from macro-alga matrix are tedious and time-consuming, usually involving repetitive chromatographic purification of fucoxanthin from co-extracted compounds, such as phlorotannins. This study focused on five Icelandic edible seaweeds and reported a novel sample preparation method—sugaring-out for the HPLC analysis of fucoxanthin. We aimed to determine fucoxanthin contents in Icelandic edible seaweeds and to evaluate the effects of drying process on fucoxanthin contents. An aqueous acetonitrile model system was developed to visualize fucoxanthin partition and to select optimal conditions for partition. Glucose was added to trigger phase separation. The highest yield of fucoxanthin was found when it is mixed with 70 mg mL⁻¹ glucose. Among three edible dry seaweeds sold in Icelandic food market, fucoxanthin was detected only in sugar kelp (18.76–38.13 μg g⁻¹ d.w.). Fresh brown algae can be good alternative sources of fucoxanthin (177.74–227.39 μg g⁻¹ d.w. in Ascophyllum nodosum and 120.39–147.86 μg g⁻¹ d.w. in Fucus vesiculosus). Seaweed freshness is critical for fucoxanthin extraction, as post-harvest drying process with light and air exposure can cause approximately 70–90% loss of fucoxanthin after a 4-week drying process.

岩藻黄质是一种氧化的类胡萝卜素，具有广泛的生物活性，从抗氧化剂活性到抗菌活性。微藻类是生产黄藻黄质的公认方法，可以通过细胞培养和基因工程来提高其产量，而大型藻类或海藻则是可用于收获和纯化岩藻黄质的自然资源。现有的从大型藻类基质制备样品的方法既繁琐又费时，通常涉及从共提取的化合物（如邻苯二酚）中反复进行岩藻黄质的色谱纯化。这项研究集中在五种冰岛食用海藻上，并报道了一种新的样品前处理方法-糖化以用于岩藻黄质的HPLC分析。我们旨在确定冰岛食用海藻中的岩藻黄质含量，并评估干燥过程对岩藻黄质含量的影响。开发了含水乙腈模型系统以可视化岩藻黄质的分配并选择最佳分配条件。加入葡萄糖以触发相分离。将其与70 mg mL混合后，发现岩藻黄质的产量最高。^-1葡萄糖。在冰岛食品市场出售的三种可食用干海藻中，仅在海藻糖中检出了岩藻黄质（18.76–38.13μgg ^-1 dw）。新鲜的褐藻可以作为岩藻黄质的良好替代来源（结节藻中为177.74–227.39μgg ^-1 dw，褐藻（Fusus vesiculosus）为120.39–147.86μgg ^-1 dw ）。海藻的新鲜度对于岩藻黄质的提取至关重要，因为收获后的干燥过程在暴露于光线和空气的情况下，经过4周的干燥过程会导致岩藻黄质的损失约70–90％。