| Summary: | The present study sought to evaluate the nutritional composition and physicochemical properties of two dried commercially interesting edible red seaweeds, <i>Gracilaria corticata</i> and <i>G. edulis</i>. Proximate composition of the dried seaweeds revealed a higher content in carbohydrates (8.30 g/100 g), total crude protein (22.84 g/100 g) and lipid content (7.07 g/100 g) in <i>G. corticata</i> than in <i>G. edulis</i>. Fatty acids profile showed that <i>G. corticata</i> samples contain higher concentrations of saturated fatty acids, such as palmitic and stearic acids, and polyunsaturated ones such as α-linolenic and docosahexaenoic acids. Contrariwise, <i>G. edulis</i> contained higher amounts of monounsaturated oleic acid. Total amino acid content was 76.60 mg/g in <i>G. corticata</i> and 65.42 mg/g in <i>G. edulis</i>, being the essential amino acid content higher in <i>G. edulis</i> (35.55 mg/g) than in <i>G. corticata</i> (22.76 mg/g). Chlorophyll <i>a</i> was found in significantly higher amounts in <i>G. edulis</i> (17.14 μg/g) than <i>G. corticata</i>, whereas carotenoid content was significantly higher in <i>G. corticata</i> (12.98 μg/g) than in <i>G. edulis</i>. With respect to physical properties, both water- and oil-holding capacities were similar in both seaweeds, whereas swelling capacity was higher in <i>G. edulis</i>. In view of the results, the present study suggests that <i>G. corticata</i> and <i>G. edulis</i> contains important nutrients for human health and are possible natural functional foods.
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