PRODUCTION OF CARRAGEENAN BY DIFFERENT STRAINS OF Kappaphycus alvarezii CULTIVATED IN SERANG, INDONESIA

Abstract

Kappaphycus alvarezii is one of the main seaweeds cultivated in Indonesia. Its use as a raw material for the kappa-carrageenan industry has increased its cultivation activities. However, standard cultivation protocol for Kappaphycus alvarezii has yet to be well-documented, particularly on strain selection for kappa-carrageenan production. There are various strains of Kappaphycus alvarezii grown in Indonesia, specifically in Serang, Banten such as green, red, and yellowish green strains. In this study, growth rate, carrageenan yield, and gel strength from different strains of Kappaphycus alvarezii were investigated. It was observed that the specific growth rate of green type (4.14% /day) differed significantly from the other two types (red; 3.41% /day and yellowish green; 3.47% /day). The red type had the highest yield of carrageenan (45.16%) followed by yellowish green (36.66%) and green strain (33.67%). Gel strength was not significantly affected by the strain variations where the observed values for yellowish green, green, and red strain were 344.46, 316.91 and 313.10 g/cm2, respectively. Green Kappaphycus alvarezii had the highest biomass (0.27 g/cm/d) and carrageenan productivity (0.012 g/cm/d). It can be concluded that the green strain of Kappaphycus alvarezii is the most suitable for cultivation in Serang, particularly for the kappa-carrageenan industry. ABSTRAK: Kappaphycus alvarezii adalah sebahagian daripada rumpai air yang dituai di Indonesia. Penggunaannya sebagai bahan dasar kepada industri kappa-carrageenan telah menambah kepada aktiviti penuaian. Walau bagaimanapun, protokol penuaian biasa bagi Kappaphycus alvarezii adalah tertakluk pada dokumentasi penuh terutama dalam pemilihan strain pada penghasilan kappa-carrageenan. Terdapat pelbagai jenis strain Kappaphycus alvarezii yang tumbuh di Indonesia, terutama di Serang, Banten seperti hijau, merah, dan strain hijau kekuningan. Kajian ini, kadar pertumbuhan, hasil karaginan dan kekuatan gel daripada pelbagai strain Kappaphycus alvarezii telah dikaji. Didapati bahawa kadar pertumbuhan tertentu pada jenis hijau (4.14% /hari) berbeza ketara berbanding dari dua jenis lain (merah; 3.41% /hari dan hijau kekuningan; 3.47% /hari). Jenis merah mempunyai hasil karaginan tertinggi (45.16%) diikuti oleh hijau kekuningan (36.66%) dan strain hijau (33.67%). Kekuatan gel adalah tidak ketara mempengaruhi kepelbagaian variasi di mana nilai yang dipantau pada strain hijau kekuningan, hijau dan merah adalah 344.46, 316.91 dan 313.10 g/cm2, masing-masing. Kappaphycus alvarezii hijau mempunyai biojisim tertinggi (0.27 g/cm/d) dan penghasilan karaginan (0.012 g/cm/d). Kesimpulannya strain hijau Kappaphycus