Obtaining carbohydrate biopolymers (prebiotics) from brown algae

The article discusses the issues of obtaining prebiotic food additives - an actual area of research in modern food technology. The test results determined the safety of the brown algae Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculos growing on the littoral of the Barents Sea. Fucus algae contain significant the amount of alginic acid in terms of absolutely dry weight (a.d.w.) which proves the possibility of using them as raw materials for the production of sodium alginate. It was shown in the work that it is preferable to use Fucus vesiculosus for this purpose, since the content of alginic acid in it and the yield of finished products are higher. Studies of frozen algae in storage revealed a significant loss of water even after a month of storage of raw materials, while during storage of dried algae, the qualitative composition of the product remains constant. The properties of sodium alginate samples obtained from different types of fucus algae were studied. It was found that sodium alginates in appearance represent a free-flowing substance in the form of small thin plates, from light to dark brown in color, without taste and odor. Fucus sodium alginate can be used as a prebiotic, since it is a highly viscous biopolymer and belongs to natural dietary fiber.