Isolation Characterisation, Modification and Application of Fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus

Fucoidan is a natural occurring, heterogeneous sulphated marine polysaccharide from brown algae. Due to its special structure it is said to possess interesting biological activities. During the implementation of this project, methods were developed to extract fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus (bladder wrack), analyse it, modify it and test it concerning the different biologic activities. The main focus point was to find hydrolytic enzymes as the special sulphatation pattern of the fucoidan may be destroyed by unspecific (e.g. chemical)hydrolysis.