Preparation of Commercial Agarose from Jeju Seaweed, Gelidium amansii using DMSO Extraction and EDTA Washing

Agar was prepared from Gelidium amansii collected from Jeju Island, South Korea. This agar preparation has high gel strength and low sulfate content compared with G. amansii agar from Morocco. Accordingly, agarose was made from the Jeju agar through the consecutive refining processes of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) extraction and ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) washing. The physicochemical properties of the resulting agarose were compared with those from agarose prepared using only DMSO extraction. Consecutive DMSO extraction and EDTA washing more strongly affected the physicochemical properties of the agarose (purified agarose) compared with the use of DMSO extraction alone. These properties were similar to those of commercial agarose used for electrophoresis. In DNA electrophoresis, the separation and movement speed of the purified agarose were similar to those of the commercial agarose. In a $^{13}C$ NMR analysis, the purified agarose exhibited the same carbon peak as the commercial agarose. When observed under scanning electron microscopy, the agar had an even and smooth surface without irregularities or pores, and the purified agarose had a wide surface area with a large number of pores; the commercial agarose had an irregular surface that would allow the solvent to easily permeate. These results illustrate that the physicochemical properties of agarose prepared from DMSO extraction and EDTA washing were more effective than those observed after DMSO extraction alone; thus, these processes used in succession will be useful in agarose industries.