The many organobromine compounds observed in marine environments are the products of reaction with this oxidized form of bromine.

Bromo peroxidases of red and brown marine algae (Rhodophyta and Phaeophyta) contain vanadate (vanadium bromoperoxidase).

[4] By virtue of this family of enzymes, a variety of brominated natural products have been isolated from marine sources.

The enzyme is very specific to bromide and physically stable, but has not been characterized as to its active site metal.

[6] The identified enzyme belongs to the alpha/beta hydrolase superfamily; a structure for a similar bromoperoxidase is available as PDB: 3FOB​.