Influence of drying treatment on three Sargassum species

The effects were investigated of two different drying treatments (oven- and freeze-drying) on the proximate composition, amino acid profile and some p hysico-chemical properties of three subtropical brown seaweeds, Sargassum h emiphyllum, S. henslowianum and S. patens. There were significant differenc es ( p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA, Tukey-HSD) in the ash, crude lipid and moistu re contents of the three species treated by the two drying methods. The amo unt of total amino acids in the oven-dried seaweed samples was significantl y ( p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA, Tukey-HSD) lower than that of the freeze-dried ones. However, there were no significant differences on the amount of tota l essential amino acids and individual amino acid between the oven- and fre eze-dried brown seaweeds. Physico-chemical properties including swelling, w ater holding and oil holding capacity of the freeze-dried Sargassum species were significantly ( p < 0.05, two-way ANOVA, Tukey-HSD) higher than those of the oven-dried seaweed samples. This indicated that freeze-dried seawee ds had greater potential to be used as food ingredients in formulated food products than oven-dried ones.