- Theoretical results: For the first time, some species of seaweed in Vietnam have been collected for extraction and evaluation of the biological activity of pectin, including antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. The results of this study demonstrate that Vietnamese seaweed is a potential source for the discovery of biologically active compounds that can be developed into bio-based materials for future applications in functional foods and medicine.

- Applied results: The results obtained from this study show that pectin from Vietnamese seaweed is a potential source for research and development of bio-materials for applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals. Further research on the biological activity and the relationship of pectin's biological activity is necessary. Additionally, clinical trials should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of the application of seaweed pectin for pharmaceutical development. As a result, there are proposals for the effective and sustainable management and utilization of the seaweed resources in Vietnam.

This is pectin extracted from the seaweed species E. acoroides, which has been depolymerized for structural analysis. Two forms of pectin were obtained after using ion exchange chromatography. The first segment has a simple structure consisting of (1→4)-α-D-galacturonan, while the second segment is composed of 1→3-linked α-D-GalpUA; 1→4-linked α-D-GalpUA; and 1→4-linked β-apiose, along with the presence of galactose and rhamnose residues at C2/C3 positions.

- Scientific papers in referred journals (list):

1) Pham Duc Thinh; Cao Thi Thuy Hang; Dinh Thanh Trung; Nguyen Thanh Danh. Pectin from Three Vietnamese Seagrasses: Isolation, Characterization and Antioxidant Activity. Processes 2023, 11, 1054. 

2) Pham Duc Thinh, Anton B. Rasin, Artem S. Silchenko, Vo Thanh Trung, Mikhail I. Kusaykin, Cao Thi Thuy Hang, Ekaterina S. Menchinskaya, Evgeny A. Pislyagin, Svetlana P. Ermakova. Pectins from the sea grass Enhalus acoroides (L.f.) Royle: structure, biological activity and ability to form nanoparticles, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 242, 124714.

3) Pham Duc Thinh, Cao Thi Thuy Hang, Nguyen Ngoc Linh, Vo Mai Nhu Hieu, Huynh Thi Linh Phuong, Nguyen Dinh Thuat, Tran Thi Thanh Van. Study on isolation and structural characterization of polysaccharide from seagrass Halophila ovalis (R. Brown) J. D. Hooker 1858. Vietnam Journal of Marine Science and Technology; Vol. 20, No. 4B; 2020: 317–324.

- Education:

1- Huynh Anh Quoc, Determination of some physicochemical properties and structural characteristics of pectin extracted from E. acoroides seaweed in Khanh Hoa coastal area (degree awarded) - Supervisor: Dr. Pham Duc Thinh.

2- Pham Nhat Linh, Analysis of the chemical characteristics and the ability to adsorb divalent metal ions of pectin extracted from Enhalus Acoroides seaweed (degree awarded) - Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Van.

- Patents (list):

- Technological products (describe in details: technical characteristics, place):

+ A dataset of the chemical composition analysis results of pectin isolated from three species of seaweed.

+ A dataset of the evaluation results of the physicochemical properties of pectin.

+ A report on the evaluation results of the biological activity of pectin, including antioxidant and cytotoxic activities.

+ A report on the analysis of the chemical structure of two pectin compounds with good biological activity.

The results obtained from this research show that Vietnamese seaweed is a potential source for discovering new biologically active compounds that can be developed into bio-based materials for applications in functional foods and pharmaceuticals. Further research on the biological activities and the biological activity relationships of seaweed pectin is necessary, along with conducting clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of seaweed pectin applications in the direction of developing marine drugs. Consequently, there are suggestions for the efficient and sustainable management and utilization of seaweed resources in Vietnam.