A. Chamidah
Today, prebiotics are often added to food. This compound is a food substance which could not be digested, yet benefiting the host by selectively stimulating the growth or activity of one or more bacteria in the colon to improve the health of the host. One of the foodstuffs derived from algae, which could not be digested is laminaran (β-Glucan). The relationship between microflora with the added prebiotics was tested by measuring their prebiotic index, which is supported by total sugars and laminaran levels. The results showed that total sugar content of Laminaran Acid Extract (LAE) (9.075 %) was higher than that of Laminaran Modified Extract (LME) (7.355 %), while the laminaran level of LME (42.23 %) was higher than that of LAE (30.92 %). HPLC test result confirmed the presence of laminaran. The obtained prebiotic index values of LAE and LME were 1.29 and 2.10, respectively, with a negative index score for LAE prebiotic, yet positive one for LME in terms of probiotic from Lactobacillus group. Laminaran extract, especially LME, deserves to be regarded as a prebiotic candidate. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.
Department of Fishery Products Technology, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, University of Brawijaya, Jl. Veteran, Lowokwaru Malang, Indonesia
