ABSTRACT
Marine polysaccharides possess different properties: namely they are eco-friendly and non-toxic in nature. A polysaccharide is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of a large chain of monosaccharide units which are linked together by glycosidic bonds. The polysaccharides which are extracted from marine origins, such as algae, plants, animals or microorganisms, are called marine polysaccharides. They can be divided into two categories based on same or different monomeric units linked together: homogeneous and heterogeneous polysaccharides. Polysaccharide molecules possess functional groups such as hydroxyl, amino or carboxylate, which helps in their chemical modification. The chemical modification involves theoretically almost all chemical reactions involving the functional group on the polysaccharide. Mauran is a natural anionic sulphated polysaccharide having high phosphate, uronic acid and sulphate content. Porphyran is a natural sulphated polysaccharide. It is isolated from red seaweed found in the sea.
