PENGARUH METODE PENGERINGAN TERHADAP KECEPATAN PENGERINGAN DAN KUALITAS KARAGENAN DARI RUMPUT LAUT Eucheuma cottonii

Abstract

Carrageenan represent one of the major texturising ingredients in the food industry. Operation condition in every seaweed processing step effects on yield and gelling properties of carrageenan from Eucheuma cottonii seaweed, largely sourced from Indonesia. The properties differ from batch to batch. Therefore, the quantitative analysis of carrageenan batches is important. The aim of this research is to study the effect of drying method (oven, spray dryer and microwave dryer) on drying rate and the gel quality (gel strength, melting and gelling temperature). In this research, the 25 g seaweeds were soaked in aqueous alkali (NaOH 0.2 N) over night. After being neutralized, the seaweeds were extracted with 750 mL hot water of 80oC for 30 minutes. The constant volume of water was maintained by adding hot water every time. The filtrate were concentrated till its half and then dried. Based on experimental data, the results demonstrated that rate of drying using oven method is faster than microwave method. The highest value of gel strength could be obtained by oven method and while the poorest one could be obtained by spray drier. Using lower temperature in drying will produce carrageeenan with higher gel strength.