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Preparation and characterization of agar, agarose, and agaropectin from the red alga Ahnfeltia plicata

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Abstract

Agar, agarose, and agaropectin were extracted from the red alga Ahnfeltia plicata, and their properties and structures were characterized. Agar was extracted by a comparatively low alkaline consumption of 1.2%. It exhibited a gel strength of 1 152.50±74.25 g/cm2 and a sulfate content of 0.55%±0.08%. The yield of agar from A. plicata was 24.53%, which is higher than those of other agarophytes commonly used in China. Three kinds of the method were compared for the purification of agarose, and the physicochemical properties of agarose that was prepared under the optimal condition were identical to those of commercially available agarose. Furthermore, agaropectin was purified from A. plicata and characterized by GC, HPLC, UV-spectrum, and FI-IR to understand its composition and structure. It was the first time to comprehensively study the agar and its fractions from the red alga of A. plicata. This research provided an eco-friendly agar extraction method from A. plicata and revealed its potential application for the production of agar, agarose, and agaropectin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Yu Zhang, Xiaoting Fu, Jiachao Xu & Xin Gao

  2. Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Delin Duan

  3. State Key Lab of Seaweed Bioactive Substances, Qingdao, 266400, China

    Delin Duan

Authors
  1. Yu Zhang
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  2. Xiaoting Fu
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  3. Delin Duan
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  4. Jiachao Xu
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  5. Xin Gao
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Correspondence to Xiaoting Fu.

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Supported by the Public Science and Technology Research Funds Projects of Ocean (No. 201405040), the Key Research and Development Program in Shandong Province (No. 2016GSF121034), and the Jiangsu Provincial Key R&D Project (No. BE2015335)

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Zhang, Y., Fu, X., Duan, D. et al. Preparation and characterization of agar, agarose, and agaropectin from the red alga Ahnfeltia plicata. J. Ocean. Limnol. 37, 815–824 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-8129-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-019-8129-6

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