I am drying kelp tissue for lab analysis and am seeking input from anyone who has used an oven for this purpose; specifically, what oven temperature and drying time was used? Grateful for any recommendations or direction!
Hi @josh_bushueff - Although I can’t point to a specific drying time and temperature, in general lower temperatures are best to preserve nutrients. Check out this article for some information on the effects of different drying methods. It may also be helpful to note that many labs will accept wet seaweed and dry it themselves if needed.
@josh_bushueff - We dry kelp in our lab at 60 degrees Celcius. Thats a good temperature to dry at for Carbon-Nitrogen analysis. Drying time will depend on how much kelp you put in the oven and how compacted it is, but usually several days is fine. Best way to tell how long to dry is to take a weight measurement each day until the weight stops decreasing. When fully dry you'll find that the dry weight is only about 10% of the wet weight.
Hi @josh_bushueff - Although I can’t point to a specific drying time and temperature, in general lower temperatures are best to preserve nutrients. Check out this article for some information on the effects of different drying methods. It may also be helpful to note that many labs will accept wet seaweed and dry it themselves if needed.
@grace_collery - Thanks, Grace! I also found some useful info in the Seaweed Handling and Processing Guidelines for Alaska, linked in the Buyer Handoff/Delivery section of the Harvest course.
@grace_collery - Thanks, Grace! I also found some useful info in the Seaweed Handling and Processing Guidelines for Alaska, linked in the Buyer Handoff/Delivery section of the Harvest course.
@josh_bushueff - We dry kelp in our lab at 60 degrees Celcius. Thats a good temperature to dry at for Carbon-Nitrogen analysis. Drying time will depend on how much kelp you put in the oven and how compacted it is, but usually several days is fine. Best way to tell how long to dry is to take a weight measurement each day until the weight stops decreasing. When fully dry you'll find that the dry weight is only about 10% of the wet weight.
@michael_doall - Thank you!
@michael_doall - Thank you!