ISSN:
1573-5176
Keywords:
agar
;
gel strength
;
Gracilaria cornea
;
storage time
;
yield
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract The agar yield and quality characteristics of Gracilaria cornea from Yucatán, Mexico, werestudied during 18 months of storage. Biomass wasstored at a temperature of 22.1 ± 0.9 °Cand humidity of 59.8±3.6%. The agar contentvaried erratically, but the average value waspractically constant over the storage period with an average of 20.1 ± 1.5±. Gel strength, gelling and meltingtemperatures were negatively affected by the totalstorage time. No significant changes were found duringthe first five months for these characteristics withmean values of 1134 ± 57 g cm-2, 40.8 ±0.4 °C and 91.2 ± 0.9 °Crespectively. Agar degradation was evident after thefifth month and accounted for a 17± loss in gelstrength and ∼ 7± in gelling and meltingtemperatures. Nevertheless, gel strength valuesremained around 930 ± 23 g cm-2 with nosignificant changes until the end of the storageperiod. The decrease in gel strength showed asignificant relationship with decrease in3,6-anhydrogalactose but not variation in sulphatecontent. This was probably due to agar hydrolysiscaused by enzymatic processes of endogenous and/ormicrobial origin. These results suggest that thetropical G. cornea had a similar resistance todegradation during storage to that observed for G. chilensis, a cold water species. Agar qualityand yield in G. cornea after one and a half yearof storage are within the range of food grade agar.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1008150524093
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