The development of seaweed-derived products, particularly carrageenan, is increasingly prioritized in Indonesia to support sustainability and strengthen the local economy. Despite extensive studies on carrageenan extraction, systematic comparisons between locally extracted carrageenan and specific local commercial products remain limited. This study addresses this gap by directly comparing carrageenan extracted from Eucheuma cottonii harvested in Lombok, Indonesia, with a locally produced commercial carrageenan as a quality benchmark. Carrageenan extraction was performed using alkaline KOH treatment followed by ethanol precipitation. The extracted carrageenan exhibited a relatively high viscosity (61.16 cP) and a low sulfate content (11.58%). FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of sulfate ester groups and 3,6-anhydrogalactose units, indicating a κ-carrageenan structure. In addition, the extracted carrageenan exhibited a crystallinity index of 31.27% and a gel strength of 539 Pa. The yield, rheological behavior, and total phenolic content (TPC) were also evaluated. Notably, the extracted carrageenan demonstrated structural and functional properties comparable to those of the local commercial product. These findings provide direct evidence that carrageenan derived from Indonesian seaweed meets commercial performance benchmarks, highlighting its potential as a sustainable, competitive raw material for pharmaceutical applications as well as drug delivery.
Fitri et al. (Thu,) studied this question.