Affiliation:
1. I. C. Darling Center, University of Maine, Walpole, Maine 04573
2. FMC Corp., Marine Colloids Div., Rockland, Maine 04841
Abstract
Anaerobic degradation of the sulfated polysaccharide carrageenan was investigated by batch digestion of the red macroalga
Eucheuma cottonii.
During a 10-week incubation, ca. 60% of the starting
E. cottonii
biomass was fermented to CO
2
, methane, and volatile fatty acids (predominantly acetate). Carrageenan degradation paralleled the loss of total biomass, suggesting no preferential degradation or preservation. After 10 weeks of incubation, the carrageenan content of the remaining biomass was 51%, as opposed to 61% of the original
E. cottonii
biomass. Carrageenan recovered after 10 weeks of digestion had a lower average molecular weight (319,000 versus 510,000) and formed solutions with considerably lower viscosities than did intact carrageenan. The percent C and percent N content of the particulate material in the digestors increased over time, probably as a result of microbial growth. In contrast, the percent S content decreased continuously; the loss of sulfur was most likely a result of the hydrolysis of carrageenan. Results from this study indicate that it is not economically viable to process
E. cottonii
simultaneously for hydrocolloids and methane.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Ecology,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,Food Science,Biotechnology
Cited by
12 articles.
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