Abstract
Fucoidan and laminaran in brown algae are important polysaccharides for
industrial use because of their functional activities. We applied
batch-adsorption chromatography using a diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) Sephadex
A-25 resin to estimate fucoidan and laminaran contents with the goal of
establishing a routine technique for use in ecological and physiological
investigations. The mean recoveries of commercial fucoidan and laminaran by
batch-adsorption chromatography were 99.1% and 97.6%, respectively,
suggesting that this separation method is beneficial for quantitative
analysis. In eight brown algae containing 3 species of Laminariales and 5
species of Fucales, fucoidan and laminaran contents were 1.75-12.2% dw and
0.44-6.99% dw, respectively. In this study, the most fucoidan-rich alga was
Kjellmaniella crassifolia (12.2% dw), followed by Cystoseira
hakodatensis (8.1% dw). In contrast, laminaran content was the highest
in Sargassum patens (7.0% dw), followed by S. horneri
(5.9% dw). The method using batch-adsorption chromatography is quick and can
be used to measure many samples simultaneously. Therefore, this simple
method is very useful for estimating fucoidan and laminaran contents as a
routine technique for searching for useful species and for eco-physiological
research.
