Physicochemical characteristics of carrageenan flour by immersion method using Eucheuma cottonii seaweed from Takalar waters of South Sulawesi

Indonesia consists of seas which have various types of biological resources and their environmental potential. Carrageenan is known to have high potential in the food and non-food fields. In the food division, carrageenan mostly used as a thickener and gelling agent. The most of the problems faced by seaweed farmers are not optimal processing of harvested seaweed, the seaweed tends to leave a lot of salt crystals after drying due to the absence of the immersion process before making carrageenan. The purpose of this research is to increase knowledge of the physicochemical properties of carrageenan from Eucheuma cottonii in the non-immersion method and the aquadest immersion method. Before extraction, seaweed was compared without immersion and with distilled water for 36 hours. The extraction process was carried out using 8% potassium hydroxide and then observed the physicochemical properties of carrageenan flour. The results of the study showed that the physicochemical characteristics of carrageenan were shown in the immersion method with a water content of 9.11%, ash content of 21.49%, yield of 41.96%, and viscosity of 157.33cP. The immersion method with a water content of 12.55%, yield of 30.16%, ash content of 30.84%, and viscosity of 101.67cP.