Sargassum is recognized both empirically and scientifically as a potential anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation is an important response in the body that helps to overcome various challenges to body homeostasis such as microbial infections, tissue stress, and certain injuries. Excessive and uncontrolled inflammatory conditions can affect the pathogenesis of various diseases. This review aims to explore the potential of Sargassum’s anti-inflammatory activity, not only in crude extracts but also in sulfated polysaccharides and purified compounds. The tropical region has a promising availability of Sargassum biomass because its climate allows for the optimal growth of seaweed throughout the year. This is important for its commercial utilization as functional ingredients for both food and non-food applications. To the best of our knowledge, studies related to Sargassum’s anti-inflammatory activity are still dominated by subtropical species. Studies on tropical Sargassum are mainly focused on the polysaccharides group, though there are some other potentially bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, terpenoids, fucoxanthin, fatty acids and their derivatives, typical polar lipids, and other groups. Information on the modulation mechanism of Sargassum’s bioactive compounds on the inflammatory response is also discussed here, but specific mechanisms related to the interaction between bioactive compounds and targets in cells still need to be further studied.

The excessive consumption of sugar, salt, and fat is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases. Therefore, a study on estimating the added sugar, salt, and fat intake in certain populations is important for establishing specific recommendations aiming at improving diet quality, and thus public health. This study aimed to determine the food consumption pattern and the intakes of added sugar, salt, and fat from different food groups and food sources among the residents of South Jakarta, Indonesia. The study was conducted with a cross-sectional design, involving 323 respondents. Data on socio-economic conditions, health and nutritional status, and food consumption were collected. Food consumption data were acquired through the 2-day weighed food record. Results showed that the daily food consumption in the observed population reached 1868–2334 g/capita/day. The total added sugar intake in different groups of respondents ranged between 34.9 and 45.9 g/capita/day, with the highest values observed in school-age boys. Beverages and snacks were identified as the main added sugar sources in the respondents’ diet. The total salt intake ranged from 5.46 to 7.43 g/capita/day, while the observed fat intake reached 49.0–65.1 g/capita/day. The major food source contributing to the salt and fat intake included street/restaurant/fast food. Male subjects tended to consume a higher amount of salt and fat than female subjects. These findings can be used as baseline information for providing a strategy for reducing sugar, salt, and fat intakes, with strong implications for improving public health.

Due to the strong antioxidant activity of flavonoids and carotenoids, daily consumption of these bioactive compounds has the potential for reducing the risk of many chronic and degenerative diseases caused by or contributed to by oxidative stress. Currently, the available research results related to the flavonoid and carotenoid intake in Asian countries are very limited, especially for Indonesian population. The present study was conducted in Bogor City and Bogor District, West Java, Indonesia. Food consumption data was obtained through the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) method, involving 200 respondents aged 25–65 years old. Flavonoids and carotenoids contents of the consumed food items were determined by referring to the databases developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), scientific journals, and calculation based on the recipes recorded in the survey. The total flavonoid intake of Bogor adults was estimated as 149.5 mg/day, consisting of 49.4% isoflavones, 24.0% flavonols, 9.4% flavanones, 7.0% flavan-3-ols, 6.0% flavones, and 4.2% anthocyanidins, and was contributed to mainly by legumes (70.7%), vegetables (10.1%), and fruits (7.3%). At the same time, the estimated total carotenoid intake reached 7.6 mg/day, and was contributed to mainly by vegetables (53.9%), fruits (20.2%), and snacks (14.4%), with β-carotene consumed in the highest proportion (49.9%), followed by lycopene (19.9%), lutein and zeaxanthin (13.5%), α-carotene (6.9%), and β-cryptoxanthin (2.6%). The effects of different respondents’ characteristics, such as area of residence (city vs. district), gender (male vs. female), and age (25–40, 41–55, and 56–65 years old) on the flavonoid and carotenoid intake varied widely, due to the differences in the overall consumption patterns of the respective respondents’ groups.

Sargassum brown seaweed is reported to exhibit several biological activities which promote human health, such as anticancer, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of crude lipid extracts of Sargassum ilicifolium obtained from four different coastal areas in Indonesia, namely Awur Bay–Jepara (AB), Pari Island–Seribu Islands (PI), Sayang Heulang Beach–Garut (SHB), and Ujung Genteng Beach–Sukabumi (UGB). Results showed that treatment of RAW 264.7 macrophage cells with UGB and AB crude lipid extracts (12.5–50 µg/mL) significantly suppressed the nitric oxide production after lipopolysaccharide stimulation, both in pre-incubated and co-incubated cell culture model. The anti-inflammatory effect was most marked in the pre-incubated cell culture model. Both two crude lipid extracts showed 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and high ferric reducing antioxidant power, which were amounted to 36.93–37.87 µmol Trolox equivalent/g lipid extract and 681.58–969.81 µmol FeSO₄/g lipid extract, respectively. From this study, we can conclude that crude lipid extract of tropical S. ilicifolium can be further developed as a source of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent.

Insects from the Orthoptera order, such as grasshoppers and crickets, are increasingly receiving attention as potential alternative protein sources, especially due to their high protein content and biofunctional properties that can be developed through enzymatic hydrolysis processes. This study aimed to systematically review the enzymatic hydrolysis method of Orthoptera order insect protein and evaluate its effect on biofunctional activity, degree of hydrolysis (DH), and allergenicity. The question formulation used the PICO strategy, namely population (insects, Orthoptera order, locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets), intervention (insect processing using an enzymatic hydrolysis process), comparison (protease enzyme type, protease enzyme concentration, hydrolysis pH, hydrolysis temperature, hydrolysis duration, and drying method), and outcomes (DH, allergenicity, biofunctionality, and bioactive peptides). Sixteen articles were selected from 752 articles sourced from credible scientific journals in trusted electronic databases. The analysis showed that the Alcalase enzyme was most effective in producing bioactive peptides with antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antihypertensive activities. The results of this review recommend that the enzymatic hydrolysis process in Orthoptera insects can use a 3% (w/w) Alcalase enzyme at pH 8–9 and temperature 50°C for 90 min, especially when combined with ultrasonication, which was shown to increase the DH by > 50% and the antioxidant activity significantly. Thus, the enzymatic hydrolysis process of Orthoptera insects can be an effective approach in the development of safe and high‐value functional foods and bioactive ingredients.