Hydrolysis of Eucheuma cottonii seaweed polysaccharides into simple sugars and its benefits for humans

¹ Deep Sea Research Center, National Research and Innovation Agency, Ambon, 97233, Indonesia Affiliated with the Center for Collaborative Research on Eastern Indonesian Aquatic Ecosystems
² Faculty of Science and Technology, Pattimura University, Ambon, 97233, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Eucheuma cottonii seaweed produces carrageenan which is a linear polysaccharide and is a galactan molecule with its main galactose unit. The benefits of hydrolyzing seaweed polysaccharides into simple sugar are expected to be used in the food industry, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics, and bioethanol production. The hydrolysis process in this study used alkali treatment (KOH 3%; NaOH 3%) and water concentration compared to seaweed (20 x; 30 x) at a temperature of 100⁰C. The result of the study showed that the water content of 93.33 - 94.58%; glucose 3.91 - 8.38%; lactose 5.91 - 12.80%; sucrose 0.44 - 4.41%. Indicate the presence of glucose and galactose groups in absorption band 1082.11cm^-1. The presence of lactose is 923.94cm^-1; 1246.07cm; 1648.24cm^-1; and 3292.63cm^-1 and indicates the presence of sucrose is 1082.11cm^-1 and 1648.24cm^-1.