Preliminary Characterization of Carrageenan from the Red Seaweed Halymenia floresii

Increasing worldwide demand and development of new applications of carrageenan have added urgency to the search for new or additional raw material sources. Native and alkali-treated carrageenan from Halymenia floresii from Yucatan was extracted and preliminarily characterized. Results showed that this species contains a highly sulfated carrageenan, with minor amounts of 3,6-anhydro-galactose. Native sulfated galactan seems to be rheologically and chemically similar to the lambda-family carrageenan with appropriate thickening ability for food applications. Further studies are needed to precisely define the structure of these complex polymers and its potential use as a source of industrial lambda family.