FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE,MOA,TAIWAN

The seaweed flake was made from Gracilaria spp. through the process of blanching, chopping, freezing, centrifuging, softening, slicing and drying. The nutrient contents of the flake such as dietary fiber, iron and calcium were 34.8 g/100g, 37.9 mg/100g and 720 mg/100g, respectively. The antioxidative activities such as DPPH scavenging effect and reducing power were 70% and 0.31 absorbance at 700 nm, respectively. The hygienic condition such as aerobic count, coliforms and E. coli were 6.8x10² CFU/g, less than 3 MPN/g and not detectable, respectively. The instant soup products were made from seaweed flake with flavor enhancer and salt. The texture of seaweed flake and overall acceptance of the product were evaluated by panels score. In the result, their preference ratios in the grade of good and excellent were more than 73%. Thus, the developments of seaweed flake made from Gracilaria spp. for the instant soup product with the characteristic of high dietary fiber value are feasible.