Composición bioquímica y toxicidad de colonias comestibles de la cianobacteria andina nostoc sp. Llayta

Abstract

Llayta is the name assigned to the dry biomass of macrocolonies of a filamentous cyanobacterium classified as Nostoc sp. Llayta grows in the Andean wetlands of South America and has been considered a food ingredient since pre-Columbian times. This work is an effort to contribute to define the nutritional quality of Llayta providing information on its biochemical composition and to identify key toxicological aspects. The results indicated that 60% of its aminoacids were indispensable, total lipids were 2% of dry weight, polyunsaturated fatty acids were 32% of total fatty acids, vitamin E was the most abundant (4.3 mg%), total polyphenols were 64 mg (equivalent to galic acid), antioxidant activity was 17.4 µmoles (equivalent to Trolox), total fiber was 56% of dry weight and accumulated 9.2 ± 5.4 ppm of total arsenic. Since Nostoc sp. Llayta is a cyanobacterium strain that does not synthesize the cyanotoxin microcystin, the Llayta colonies can be considered innocuous for human consumption.