In scientific language, seaweed (sea weeds) known as the algae or algae. Judging from its size, type of seaweed consisting of microscopic and macroscopic. This macroscopic algae everyday we know as seaweed.
Based pigment (dye), which was conceived, algae are grouped into four classes, namely Rhodophyceae (red algae) Phaeophyceae (brown algae), Chlorophyceae (green algae), and Cyanophyceae (blue-green algae).
Green algae and blue green algae, many who live and thrive in freshwater. This type of algae has no significance as a food ingredient. In contrast, brown algae and red algae are marine inhabitants is quite exclusive in its position as food and non-food.
When speaking of seaweed, which is meant is the type of brown algae and red algae. Brown algae that live in cold waters, red algae in the tropics.
Seaweed is the largest part of the sea plants that hold important enough role in its function as a food and medicine. In general, seaweed is distinguished as a producer of agar, carrageenan, furcelaran, and alginates.
Brown algae that is often called kelp or rockweed, a source or algin alginate, which is one type of polysaccharide consisting of units manurat acid and glucuronic acid. Meanwhile, the red algae is a source of carrageenan, agar-agar, and furcelaran.
Some types of seaweed found in Indonesia and has important economic significance are:
(1) Seaweed producing agar-agar (agarophyte), namely Gracilaria, Gelidium, Gelidiopsis, and Hypnea,
(2) Carrageenan-producing seaweed (Carragenophyte), namely Eucheuma spinosum, Eucheuma cottonii, Eucheuma striatum,
(3) seaweed-producing algin, namely Sargasum, Macrocystis, and Lessonia.
Type of Eucheuma and Gracilaria has been cultivated in Indonesia, especially in the Islands of Riau, Lampung, Kepulauan Seribu (Jakarta), Bali, Lombok, Flores, Sumba and Sulawesi. Cultivation carried out in places where the current is relatively calm conditions, so that productivity can be improved. Indonesian territory, 70 percent of the sea and there are 17,500 islands, is a country rich in seaweed.
Fresh seaweed can not be stored longer at room temperature. Therefore, it must be processed into the form of dried seaweed, wheat for flour, alginate, carrageenan or starch.
During this seaweed exports to other countries usually takes the form of dried seaweed. Thus, it is time for Indonesia to establish the seaweed-processing industry and export it in the form of processed products, such as agar-agar, carrageenan, alginate, and others.
Powder Form
Agar-agar is a dry product shapeless (amorphous), which has properties such as gelatin and is the result of extraction of a certain type of seaweed. Gelatin molecules consist of linear chains galaktan. Galaktan itself is a polymer of galactose.
Almost all of Indonesia's population certainly familiar with the agar. There are three forms of gelatin are sold on the market, namely rods, powder, and paper. However, the most common is a form of powder.
The public is more familiar with the agar as a delicious dessert and interesting. Therefore, the shape can be cooked up their taste and combined with a variety of color, aroma, and flavor.
The most prominent properties of the gelatin is dissolved in hot water, which when cooled to a certain temperature will form a gel. In the household, generally used for making pudding, a mixture of a variety of cakes, or rice cooked together to produce more rice fluffier and sticky.
To better provide attraction and so can be used more widely, powdered gelatin made colorful. Powdered gelatin is generally green, yellow, red, brown, and white.
Agar-agar was first produced in China before the 17th century. In industrial scale, gelatin manufacturers first established in California, United States, in 1919, followed by Japan, which until now was known as a major gelatin manufacturer in the world.
In Indonesia, the gelatin began production in 1930. While there are several industries producing agar-agar in Indonesia. The main raw material used is of the type rambukasang seaweed (Gracilaria sp), paris (Hypnea), and Kadesh (Gellidium sp).
Of the three types, the type rambukasang is the most used because it is cheaper in price and produce the agar three times more than other types. Average amount (yield) gelatin produced from dried seaweed is 25-35 percent.
Production Process
Stages of gelatin production process are:
a. Harvesting and drying seaweed.
Once harvested, cleaned of sand seaweed, rocks, and other debris. Further drying in the sun for a few days to dry (water content about 20 per cent).
b. Cutting and acidification.
Dried seaweed that has been incorporated into the wash tub filled with water and mechanically cut into pieces. Next put in the washing bath containing 5-10 percent sulfuric acid for 15 minutes and rinsed with water until clean. Another type of acid that can be used is acetic acid or citric acid. The purpose of acidification to break the cell wall, thus easily extracted agar and destroy and dissolve the dirt so that the seaweed becomes cleaner.
c. Cooking and extraction.
Seaweed concoction made in a large vessel with clean water as much as 40 times the weight of dried seaweed used. The cooking was done with the addition of 0.5 percent acetic acid and performed at a temperature of 90-100oC for 2-4 hours. At the time begins to boil, add a base (eg sodium hydroxide) to neutralize the pH to be 6-8.
d. Compaction.
After cooking is complete, seaweed extract blacu filtered with a cloth and squeezed slowly. Extracts obtained accommodated in a vessel and added to his base until the pH reached 7 to 7.5. Agar solution was neutralized, heated again with stirring and poured into a mold according to a predetermined size. Agar solution was allowed to solidify at room temperature or use cold temperatures to speed up compaction.
e. Drying.
Agar-agar has solidified, cut into thin slices in the form of 0.5 cm-thick sheet using fine steel wire. Gazette obtained blacu wrapped in cloth, prepared, and inserted into the tool presses and pressed slowly to get the water out. Solids left in the fabric for blacu then dried over bamboo racks to dry and packed with plastic bags. To produce agar-agar powder, sheets of gelatin dry milled and sifted to obtain a fine powder.
Purpose To-To
The most prominent properties of the gelatin is to have power gelation (gel forming ability), viscosity (thickness), setting point (the temperature of gel formation), and melting points (melting temperature gel) is very beneficial for use in food and non-food industries .
Agar-agar with high purity will not dissolve in water temperature of 25oC, but soluble in hot water. At temperatures 32-39oC, the agar will form solids that will not melt again at temperatures below 80oC.
The main function of the gelatin is as pemantap materials, stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickeners, fillers, bleach, gel-makers, and others. Agar-agar is used in food industry, namely to increase the viscosity of soups and sauces, as well as in the manufacture of fruit jelly.
In Europe and America, gelatin is used as thickening agents in industrial ice cream, jelly, candy, and pastries. Agar-agar is also used in the manufacture of sherbet, ice cream, and cheese to set a balance and give subtlety. In Japan, the agar is often cooked together with rice to produce a "gelatinous rice" sticky and fiber-rich food (dietary fiber), so it is more beneficial for health.
Agar-agar is also used as a purifier in various industries beverages such as beer, wine, coffee, and as a stabilizer in chocolate drinks. In the health sector, as in World War II, the gelatin used to clean wounds.
This is due in agar contained components that can stop blood agglomerate, so that the wound is easy to clean. In ancient times, Japanese and Chinese people use gelatin as upset stomach, and in America gelatinous substance included in the laxative group.
In addition to the food industry, gelatin is also used in the pharmaceutical industry (as raw material for capsules packing medicines and vitamins, laxatives mix and toothpaste), cosmetics industry (as raw material for lipstick, soap, ointments, lotions, and creams) , and other industries.
Over the years dealing with patients with high blood pressure, I often find "overweight" as one cause. In medicine obesity means the accumulation of fat in the body's internal organs (viscera) that can be causes of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol are all these eventually became the cause of cardiac infarction and apopleksi.
In modern times all kinds of delicious foods and fatty fast food is not easy to avoid. If no settings in the diet then the fat will remain a problem. Therefore, when I search for a form of food that can be consumed with tasty but low in calories, I find agar-agar.
Agar-agar is a safe material consumption, almost no calories. Consumed as much as anything there is no problem. Agar-agar can also be expressed in many ways so it is not boring, unlike konyaku and wakame is also a low-calorie foods but limited in the presentation. Besides gelatin consumed will expand in the stomach causing a feeling of satisfaction and satiety. The nature of such food in can make people stay in the diet.
During the approximately 8 years, I have given the gelatin diet accompanied by arrangements to nearly 500 patients. In 2004, for 3 months starting in January, then we (me and Maeda, a researcher from the same researchers) make a study of the effects caused by the gelatin. The results showed that the agar can lose weight quite well compared to the diet patterns common. In addition, we also get a decrease in levels of BMI, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
Agar-agar is no longer just a diet food because we also found a certainty that he is "the food equivalent of the drug" for a number of approximately 40,000,000 people in Japan which is a group of metabolic disorders caused by a daily diet of less healthy. Agar-agar is a food rescue for people who have problems with obesity.
Based on the testing we have done, the gelatin will give effect if consumed at night. A total of approximately 180 grams of pudding (equivalent to 2 g of flour) consumed sebgai substitute appetizer (before dinner) so egeknya felt immediately. Good luck!
Experience and research of a Japanese doctor:
DOCTOR TOCHIKUBO Osamu (Professor Faculty of Medicine, University of Yokohama Shiritsu; Born in 1943; Expertise: Preventive Medicine, Public Health Sciences. Especially regarding the treatment of high blood pressure and obesity, has been recognized).
In December 2004, the results of research on health effects of lead from the 'jelly' was presented to the world. This is the thesis of Dr Tochikubo group.
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