Introduction

The growing interest in the development of the seaweed resource is primarily due to the

recognition of its economic importance as a source of food, as raw material for the manufacture of

commercial products such as agar, alginates and carrageenan and its use as an additional source of

livelihood for communities that inhabit the coastal areas.. Seaweeds or marine macro algae are

primitive non-flowering plants without true root, stem and leaves. They form one of the

commercially important marine living renewable resources. They are the enormous source for the

production of phytochemicals such as agar, carrageenan and alginate. Seaweeds are also called

Medical food of the 21st century. Standard methods were used to extract. Sea weeds As the first

phycocolloid used, agar was one of the first 476 functional ingredients from algae for foods and

nutraceutical, even as food ingredients it approved as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by

the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

For several centuries there has been a traditional use of seaweeds as food in China, Japan

and the Republic of Korea. As people from these countries have migrated around the world, this

custom has moved with them, so that today there are many more countries where the consumption

of seaweed is not unusual. Coastal dwellers in tropical climates such as Indonesia, Malaysia and

even our country Philippines have also eaten fresh seaweeds, especially as salad components.

In recent years there has been a strong movement in the world market to introduce seaweed

into the different cuisine, with some success, although it is still regarded as an exotic component

of the menu. It has gained more acceptance in many regions the taste for seaweeds spreads out into

the surrounding population through finding them on restaurant menus and supermarket shelves.
 Some companies have begun cultivating seaweeds onshore, in tanks, specifically for

human consumption, and their markets are growing. With the current trend for consumers to

embrace organically grown foods and "natural" foods from clean environments, seaweeds should

receive an increasing acceptance. Different genus of red algae is used as the raw material in agar

production as Gelidium agar, Gracilaria agar, Pterocladia agar, for the current research. To

describe the product more accurately, it is usual to mention the origin of the jelly products that

people enjoys to eat are coming from sea weeds. We have a lot of sea weeds here in the Philippines

and a lot of it are just found along the shore untouched and unnoticed of its benefits. They are

sometimes considered as useless grass that takes out the beauty of the shoreline.

The researchers thought of extracting and formulating of Agar from Kappaphycus

Alvarezii (Kanot-Kanot) . The primary goal in conducting this study is to engage people living on

the shorelines to cultivate and make use of the sea weeds around them to make and produce Agar

products. It is important to the researcher to enhance their skills and creative home making and

income generating activities. . It will also be a great help to the food service industry as they will

be able to yield a greater amount of marketable Agar or Jelly products which will be result to

greater impact in the country’s economy. Furthermore, the result will help those small scale

entrepreneursn, specially those engage in sea farming products as they can utilize the sea weeds.

For those unemployed and employed in the community , the result of the study may encourage

them to involve themselves with income generating activity like making and selling agar products.