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Biology and agar composition of Gelidium sesquipedale harvested along the Atlantic coast of Morocco

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Abstract

Gelidium sesquipedale (Clem.) Bornet et Thuret is the main raw material used for agar production in Morocco. The biology and biochemistry of this slow growing alga collected monthly over one year has been studied. The agar content varied around 40% of algal dry weight and reached a maximum of 44.5% in November. Agar gel strength was maximum in May and July (1000 g cm−2), and melting (90 °C) and gelling (35 °C) temperatures varied slightly. The agar contained a high 3,6-anhydrogalactose content (40–45 mol%) and low amounts of 6- O-methylgalactose (around 1 mol%) and sulphate (1.0 – 1.6% of dry weight). The reproductive status of the alga affected the agar synthesis and quality. The phycocolloid gel strength was related to the mean polysaccharide chain length but not to its chemical substitution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biochimie et Biotechnologies marines, Faculté des Sciences, B.P. 133, 14000, Kénitra, Morocco

    Aziza Mouradi-Givernaud, Lalla Amina Hassani & Oumaima Benharbet

  2. SETEXAM, Usine El Assam, Route de Tanger, B.P. 210, 14000, Kénitra, Morocco

    Thierry Givernaud

  3. Laboratoire de Cytophysiologie Végétale et Phycologie, UST Lille, F-59655, Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France

    Yves Lemoine

Authors
  1. Aziza Mouradi-Givernaud
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  2. Lalla Amina Hassani
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  3. Thierry Givernaud
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  4. Yves Lemoine
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  5. Oumaima Benharbet
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Mouradi-Givernaud, A., Amina Hassani, L., Givernaud, T. et al. Biology and agar composition of Gelidium sesquipedale harvested along the Atlantic coast of Morocco. Hydrobiologia 398, 391–395 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017094231494

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