Effects of temperature and tissue age on gel strength and composition of agar from Gracilaria tikvahiae (Rhodophyceae)

Abstract

Agars were prepared from a wild type and two morphological mutants of Gracilaria tikvahiae grown at 17, 22, and 27 °C, and from apical segments, main axis segments, and lateral branches of the wild type clone MP-2 grown at 17 and 27 °C. The yield of native agar was 9–11% from the young parts and 19–23% from the most mature parts of the MP-2 thallus. The gel strengths of alkali-modified agars showed a strong inverse relationship with increasing temperature of growth in each of the three clones examined. The modified agar produced from plants grown at high temperature contained more sulfate and less 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose than agars produced at lower temperatures. The increase in 4-O-methyl-L-galactose content of the agars as the growth temperature increased was especially marked. Dissection experiments on clone MP-2 showed that agar with the maximum gel strength and 3,6-anhydro-L-galactose content and the minimum sulfate and 4-O-methyl-L-galactose content was produced at low temperature by apical segments and young lateral branches. The poorest quality agar was prepared from mature segments of the thallus, especially those grown at high temperatures. Agars prepared from mature parts of the thallus were greatly enriched in 4-O-methyl-L-galactose, which reached 8.8% of the weight of the agar at 27 °C. Changes in 6-O-methyl-D-galactose were smaller, but this sugar was lowest in agar prepared from young tissues of plants grown at 17 °C.