ABSTRACT
In order to identify the seaweed carrageenan, agar, and alginate nature, vibrational spectroscopy can reveal detailed information concerning the properties and structure of materials at a molecular level. Until now, this type of analysis required the extraction of colloids, through lengthy and complicated procedures. With the development of FTIR diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (DRIFTS), it became possible to directly analyze ground, dried seaweed material (Chopin and Whalen 1993).
