RESUMEN
Sargassum brown seaweed is known to have many health benefits and therapeutic effects. Preliminary chemical characterization of this seaweed is important as a bioprospecting strategy for seaweed industry development. This study aimed to evaluate chemical composition differences, both water and lipidsoluble component, of Sargassum cristaefolium from four different coastal areas in Indonesia, namely Pari Island/PI, Awur Bay/AB, Ujung Genteng Beach/UGB, and Sayang Heulang Beach/SHB. Principal component analysis (PCA) on water-soluble component made samples from different origins to be clearly distinguished (variance: 80.37%). SHB and UGB samples were characterized by a high content of ash, alginate, fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs), and fucose content of FCSPs, while samples of AB and PI had a high amount of total sugar and crude fiber. PCA result on lipid-soluble components showed a different tendency that SHB and AB samples were located at close proximity and characterized by larger blade size, higher content of chlorophyll, fucoxanthin, carotenoid, PUFA, total n-3 fatty acids, total n-6 fatty acids, and also a lower ratio of n-6 to n-3 (variance: 75.42%). The overview of each samples' chemical characteristics can be valuable knowledge for further development, especially for developing functional ingredients.