Caracterización del carragenano de Chondracanthus pectinatus (Rhodophyta: Gigartinales) Characterization of the carrageenan of Chondracanthus pectinatus (Rhodophyta: Gigartinales)

The extraction as well as the chemical and physical characterization of the carrageenan of the red algae Chondracanthus pectinatus (Dawson) L. Aguilar and R. Aguilar was performed from field samples collected in three seasons of the year and three reproductive phases. The highest yield of carrageenan was in winter (72%) while the lowest was in summer (66%). Tetrasporic plants showed the lower percentages of 3,6 anhydrogalactose (9%), whereas the maximum was obtained from sterile spring plants (26%). An inverse relationship was observed in the sulfate content. The infrared spectrum showed that the carrageenan of C. pectinatus belongs to the hybrid kappa-iota (κ-ι) in carposporic and sterile samples but to lambda type (λ) in tetrasporic ones.