Effect of different drying methods on the mineral content of Seaweed Sargassum sp

Seaweed Sargassum sp. which is not used as food, has the potential to be animal feed, especially as a source of minerals. This study aims to evaluate the macro and micro-minerals contents of seaweed Sargassum sp. based on different drying methods. Seaweed Sargassum sp. was obtained from Sepanjang Beach Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta Indonesia. The seaweed Sargassum sp. was cleaned to remove the unwanted materials and then was dried using three different methods. The first method was sun drying for three days, starting at 07.00 to 14.00 pm. The second method was oven drying at 55oC for four days. The third method was freeze dryer drying at a temperature of -20oC for three days, starting from 07.00 to 15.30 pm. After drying, all of the seaweed Sargassum sp. was grinded for further analysis for mineral content using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method. The data obtained were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the sun drying method had a higher mineral content (P<0.01) than oven drying and freeze dryer based on macro minerals, namely calcium 38.48 g kg-1 DM, and magnesium 13.20 g kg-1 DM; micro minerals namely cobalt 30.62 ppm. Thus, the sun drying method can be used optimally to preserve the seaweed Sargassum sp. without affecting the mineral composition. © 2021 Fundacion CIPAV. All rights reserved.