Hybridity of carrageenans water- and alkali-extracted from Chondracanthus chamissoi, Mazzaella laminarioides, Sarcothalia crispata, and Sarcothalia radula

Carrageenans water- and alkali-extracted from Chondracanthus chamissoi, Mazzaella laminarioides, Sarcothalia crispata, and Sarcothalia radula were degraded by Pseudoalteromonas carrageenovora kappa-carrageenase and Alteromonas fortis iota-carrageenase. The composition of the high molecular weight fraction (i.e., enzyme-resistant fraction) as well as the standard and hybrid oligosaccharide content highlighted differences between the species-specific carrageenans in terms of composition and distribution of the carrabiose moieties. Inspection of the distribution of mu- and nu-carrabiose, the biosynthetic precursors of kappa- and iota-carrabiose, revealed their localization in kappa-carrabiose- or iota-carrabiose-rich segments, respectively.