The fatty acid contents, metals, and other elemental composition of 25 seaweed species from three heterogeneous locations of the Kerala coast were studied. The lipids (2.65%–13.6%), proteins (16.6–213.4 mg/g) and carbohydrate content (11.24–59.4 mg/g) varied significantly among the species. Most of the seaweeds were dominated by linolenic acid (12.44–82.7%) and oleic acid (1.68–52.7%) of their total fatty acids. The lower concentrations of toxic metals suggest the safety of seaweed for its use as food or nutraceutical ingredient. The concentration of organic elements and metals were significantly varied among species. A principal component analysis demonstrated the site-wise distribution of species and composition of fatty acids, metals and elements. Moreover, Ward’s hierarchical cluster analysis classified all species into distinct groups. These results are indicative of the nutritional status of seaweeds, which can be employed as value-added inputs for various industries.

研究了来自喀拉拉邦海岸三个异质位置的 25 种海藻的脂肪酸含量、金属和其他元素组成。不同物种之间的脂质（2.65%–13.6%）、蛋白质（16.6–213.4 mg/g）和碳水化合物含量（11.24–59.4 mg/g）差异很大。大多数海藻的总脂肪酸以亚麻酸（12.44-82.7%）和油酸（1.68-52.7%）为主。较低浓度的有毒金属表明海藻作为食品或营养成分的安全性。有机元素和金属的浓度因物种而异。主成分分析证明了脂肪酸、金属和元素的物种和组成的现场分布。此外，Ward 的层次聚类分析将所有物种分为不同的组。