AUTHOR=Rupert Rennielyn , Rodrigues Kenneth Francis , Thien Vun Yee , Yong Wilson Thau Lym 

TITLE=Carrageenan From Kappaphycus alvarezii (Rhodophyta, Solieriaceae): Metabolism, Structure, Production, and Application

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.859635

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2022.859635

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Carrageenan is a polysaccharide derived from red algae (seaweed) with enormous economic potential in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, printing, and textiles. Carrageenan is primarily produced through aquaculture-based seaweed farming, with <italic>Eucheuma</italic> and <italic>Kappaphycus</italic> species accounting for more than 90% of global output. There are three major types of carrageenan found in red algae: kappa (<italic>κ</italic>)-, iota (<italic>ι</italic>)-, and lambda (<italic>λ</italic>)-carrageenan. <italic>Kappaphycus alvarezii</italic> is the most common kappa-carrageenan source, and it is primarily farmed in Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Carrageenan extracted from <italic>K. alvarezii</italic> has recently received a lot of attention due to its economic potential in a wide range of applications. This review will discuss <italic>K. alvarezii</italic> carrageenan in terms of metabolic and physicochemical structure, extraction methods and factors affecting production yield, as well as current and future applications.</p>