ABSTRACT
Products .................................................................................................. 420 17.3 Calcium from Marine Organisms .......................................................... 421
17.3.1 Utilization of Fish Skeletal Frame in Bioactive Calcium Substances ................................................................................. 421
17.3.2 High Absorbable Coral Calcium ............................................... 424 17.3.3 Calcium Bioavailability of Marine Algal Powder .................... 424 17.3.4 Low Molecular Phosphorylated Chitooligosaccharides
Derived from Crab Shell as a Calcium Fortifi er ....................... 425 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................. 426 References ......................................................................................................... 426
Calcium is known to be an essential element required for numerous functions in our body including the strengthening of teeth and bones, nerve function, and many enzymatic reactions that require calcium as a cofactor. It is also necessary for muscle contraction and regulation of the permeability of sodium ion across cell membranes including those of nerve cells. The concentration of calcium in the blood plasma remains almost constant and varies only slightly over time for a given individual [1,2]. In marine ecosystem, there is a large amount of calcium in the major form of calcite (CaCO3) or calcium divalent cation (Ca
2+). Moreover, calcium with diverse physiological roles such as fertilization of egg, formation and growth of skeleton and shell, and nutritional metabolite is widely distributed in various marine phytoorganisms, microorganisms, invertebrates, and vertebrates. The ubiquitous occurrence and plentiful mass of calcium sources in marine ecosystem
have provided a motive for study on utilization in bioavailable calcium supplements and fortifi ers. However, studies on application of marine bioresources for bioavailable calcium [3-8] are scarce. This chapter focuses on current status of knowledge on the utilization of marine organisms for use as calcium supplements or fortifi ers.
