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Extraction and characterization of agar from Australian Pterocladia lucida

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Abstract

Polysaccharides were sequentially extracted from Australian Pterocladia lucida at 50 °C, to give the Warm Water (WW) fraction, and at 95 °C. The 95 °C extract was further separated into gelling (GF) and thaw water (TW) fractions by freezing-thawing. Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, compositional and linkage analyses, and physico-chemical properties indicated that the GF contained an agar with nearly idealized repeating structure and low levels of sulfate and pyruvate substitution. By contrast, the WW and TW contained heterogeneous, highly sulfated galactans with relatively low levels of 3,6-anhydrogalactose and higher levels of pyruvate and glycosyl branching and impurities, such as starch and protein. The properties of the gels formed from the GF and two commercially available agars (Sigma High Gel Strength agar and Sigma Type A agar) were investigated with a texture analyser. The GF from P. lucida had a gel strength intermediate between that of the commercial agars. The gel setting temperature of a 0.8% (w/v) solution formed from the GF was 2 °C below that of comparable solutions of the two commercial agars.

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Author notes

  1. Luke J. McManus

    Present address: School of Resource Management, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia

    Anthony Chiovitti, Luke J. McManus & Gerald T. Kraft

  2. CRC for Bioproducts, Plant Cell Biology Research Centre, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia

    Antony Bacic & Ming-Long Liao

Authors
  1. Anthony Chiovitti
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  2. Luke J. McManus
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  3. Gerald T. Kraft
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  4. Antony Bacic
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  5. Ming-Long Liao
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Correspondence to Anthony Chiovitti.

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Chiovitti, A., McManus, L.J., Kraft, G.T. et al. Extraction and characterization of agar from Australian Pterocladia lucida . Journal of Applied Phycology 16, 41–48 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JAPH.0000019073.60268.58

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