Substitution of red seaweed (Porphyra) with other seaweeds in nori making

Abstract

Nori foodstuffs can be consumed and familiar in Indonesia. Nori products are generally based on Porphyra spp (red seaweed). Indonesia lies on the tropical region, while Porphyra spp commonly grows in the sub-tropical regions so that it is very limited in Indonesia. For this reason, an alternative nori raw materials from other seaweeds, such as Gracilaria, Caulerpa, Ulva, or a mixture of these seaweeds must be found. This study aimed to utilize Gracilaria, Caulerpa, and Ulva as Porphyra substitute to make nori analog based on their nutritional content, i.e., protein, fat, carbohydrate, moisture content, and its microstructure using SEM. Results showed that Nori from Porphyra spp had the highest protein content. Based on the microstructure analysis result showed that product sheets of film F522 (Gracilaria, Ulva, and Caulerpa mixed) were similar to the commercial nori.Protein fortification was necessary to increase the protein content of the nori analog.