Introduction

The conventional red algae seaweeds used for carrageenan manufacture are found in various parts of the world. Two types of farming technology are being developed to expand the supply of seaweed — tank aquaculture and seaweed cultivation farms — both of which have been successfully applied to production of commercial quantities of red seaweed species suitable for the manufacture of carrageenan hydrocolloids. Carrageenan-producing seaweed grows attached to rocks in the intertidal waters a few feet from shore to a mile or more out to sea. During the 1970s, major business developments convulsed the small quiet seaweed industry. The major commercial extracts of the red seaweeds — agar, carrageenan, and furcellaran — are polysaccharide polymers of galactose and have a common basic structure. Sulfate content is the major distinguishing feature of the red seaweed extracts and is used as a legal, regulatory ordinance for differentiating between furcellaran and carrageenan.