Department of Food Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Fisheries, Minato, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan
Dried seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, was pulverized into small particles by a Super Rotor and also crushed into large particles by a grinder. Rats were fed with the test diets: basal (B), cholesterol (C), cholesterol plus small size seaweed (C+S) and cholesterol plus large size seaweed (C+L) for 2 weeks.
Animals on C＋S and C＋L diets showed significantly higher alginate digestibility from Day 12 to Day 14 compared with that from Day 1 to Day 3. Animals on C＋S diet also showed significantly higher alginate digestibility than those on C＋L diet from Day 12 to Day 14. Rats fed with seaweed diets showed decreasing total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentration in the serum, and C＋L diet yielded a more significant reduction than C＋S diet. Reduction in liver total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentration was found in rats fed with C＋S diet than those fed with C＋L diet. Pictures of liver tissue slice and lipid deposition extent in hepatic lobule indicated the effect of seaweed on lipid accumulation in liver.