Enzyme-Assisted Extraction of Alginate from Beach Wrack Fucus vesiculosus

Beach wrack constitutes an unutilized, abundant renewable source of marine macro algae being rich in valuable biopolymers. This work investigates the revalorization of the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus collected from beach wrack as a source of alginate, the main polysaccharide in brown algae which constitutes a potential ingredient for the development of biopolymer films. Enzyme-assisted extraction has been investigated for cell disruption with commercial cellulase blends and proteases. The effect of enzyme type, enzyme activity, and extraction time on alginate yields, molecular weight distribution, functional groups, and purity has been studied.