Cultivation of a commercial red alga near the Caribbean entrance of the Panama Canal and optimization of carrageenan quality

Resumen

In 1995 experimental seaweed farms with species utilized by the ethnic population were established on the Caribbean coast in an area around the District of Colon, at the North entrance of the Panama Canal. This area is one of the most monitored tropical coastal zones. Indeed, data has been collected since the early 1900's. ln 2000, the Coastal Research Institute of GKSS, one of the fifteen national facilities that make up the Hermann von Helmholtz Society of German Research Centers (HGF), installed a high tech monitoring system to integrate environmental data at the site. The objective was to investigate sustainable utilization of renewable resources and its implications for marine and coastal zone management. Consequently, Kappaphycus alvarezii (Eucheumasp) was established in 2002 by Gracilarias de Panama Company for an experimental period of five years. The first phase of that experiment demonstrated that a seaweed farm could produce raw material for commercial export in addition to meeting the needs of local people and also providing a buffer zone and protection for the shoreline. We are currently monitoring carrageenan  yield quality, by observing the differences between seasons and between planting methods at three sites. For the year 2003, the average of DGR was 4.4%, the molecular weight of the extracted carrageenan was 1080304Da and the yield of dried weight was 43%. There was a significant influence of season and in all cases there was a high growth rate.

Palabras clave:

Seaweed farms, Kappaphyens alvarezii, ethnic groups, carrageenan, carrageenan yield quality, Daily Growth Rate (DGR) Cultivos experimentales de granjas marinas, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Eucheuma cottoni, carragenina, extracto de carragenina, rata de crecimiento (DGR)