Influence of Shade Drying on Quality Characteristics of Sargassum tenerrimum from the Konkan Coast of India

Abstract

Brown seaweed is a marine resource containing polysaccharides and other compounds of nutritional and technological interest. The present study evaluated the influence of shade drying on the proximate composition, selected quality attributes, microbiological status, colour characteristics and drying recovery of Sargassum tenerrimum collected from rocky coastal habitats of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India. Fresh seaweed samples were cleaned, shade-dried under ambient conditions and analysed in comparison with fresh material. Drying reduced the moisture content from 79.05 ± 0.42% to 9.70 ± 0.21%. On a dry-weight basis, the dried material showed higher crude protein, crude fat, ash, carbohydrate and energy values than the fresh sample, with values of 12.35 ± 0.31%, 2.37 ± 0.03%, 18.06 ± 0.44%, 57.52 ± 0.89% and 300.81 kcal/100 g, respectively. Overall sensory acceptability remained high for both fresh and dried seaweed, with a score of 8.9 ± 0.10 on a 9-point hedonic scale. Drying was associated with reductions in TMA-N, TVB-N, total plate count and Staphylococcus aureus count, while Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp. were not detected in either sample. Peroxide value and free fatty acid content increased after drying but remained low. Colour measurements showed a decrease in L* value, reduced greenness and increased yellowness in dried seaweed. The drying yield was 15.50 ± 0.11%, while powdered dried seaweed recovery was 14.70 ± 0.10%. The uronic acid content of extracted sodium alginate was 25.80%. These findings indicate that shade drying improved selected quality indicators associated with storage stability.