A red algae that is eaten. Seaweed: benefits, applications and recipes

Seaweed is a food product that is widely available today. The tradition of eating “sea vegetables” developed many centuries ago. They are part of the cuisine of Japan, China, Iceland, Ireland, Hawaii, the Philippines, and African countries. Today this product is especially popular because it is a healthy food. In industry, food additives are made from some species.

Almost any sea food algae has a complex of beneficial properties:

Enriches the body with minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, etc.;

Acts as an antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral agent;

Protects against radiation;

Increases immunity;

Normalizes metabolism;

Stimulates blood circulation;

Normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and other systems.

Algae are included in many medicines. Moreover, there are tablets created exclusively from these plants.

Composition and calorie content

All edible algae are low-calorie products (on average from 35 to 70 kcal per 100 g). At the same time, in terms of usefulness for the body, they are comparable to wheat, meat and good fish. The product consists of 70-90% water, proteins in it - from 5 to 7 g, carbohydrates - from 2 to 4 g, fats - up to 1 g.

Many algae, the nutritional value of which is highly rated, contain a full range of essential amino acids, and the bulk of the fats are polyunsaturated acids. In addition, the product is rich in iodine. Of the vitamins, the largest quantities contain B12, A, C, E, D, PP, and carotene.

It is worth buying edible seaweed to enrich the body with calcium, magnesium, potassium and other microelements. They also contain chlorophyll, plant enzymes, sterols, phenols, and polysaccharides.

Which algae are most often used as food?

Some of the most popular are nori and wakame. They became famous after the widespread spread of Japanese cuisine. In addition to sushi, they are used to make chips and snacks, and added to salads, bread, omelettes and other dishes as a seasoning.

Another popular form is dried edible White Sea seaweed, which is a natural and healthy salt substitute made from kelp. It is a source of iodine and fucoidan. It also contains a large complex of vitamins: A, B1, B2, B6, B 12, C, E, K, and microelements: sodium, phosphorus, iron, etc.

With regular consumption of algae, a person can slow down the aging process of the body.

Algae in the food industry: production of “sea vegetables”

Most of the products presented in stores are grown unnaturally due to the fact that the demand for them is high, and natural conditions do not allow it to be satisfied. In Japan, nori and other types of seaweed are grown in farms.

Popular kelp is also harvested from artificial or natural fields and collected after blowouts during storms. Then all the algae go to factories, where they are pre-processed and sent to stores or factories for further harvesting.

How are algae used in the food industry?

Various additives are made from the sea vegetable, for example, agar-agar and other gelling agents. Subsequently, they are used to make sweets.

The use of algae in the food industry is not limited to this. Carrageen is also extracted from them, which has an emulsifying and thickening effect. It is added to cocktails, ice cream, dairy products, confectionery or sausages.

Alginates are another dietary supplement made from algae. They are used for the production of sauces and mayonnaise, because they prevent separation. It is also added to coffee and other powders to speed up dissolution.

In addition, the industry produces various algae nutritional supplements, tablets and spices. They are recommended to be consumed more often to enrich the diet with useful substances.

More about the benefits and uses of algae:

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[b]1. What is photosynthesis? What significance does this process have for life on our planet?
2. What seaweeds are eaten? Do you know?

1. Photosynthesis is the process of formation of organic matter from carbon dioxide and water in the light with the participation of photosynthetic pigments.
2. Sea kale.

1. What is the significance of algae in nature?
2. What sedimentary rocks are formed by algae?
3. How do people use seaweed?
4. What is the value of algae as a source of human nutrition?

1. Fish and other aquatic animals feed on algae. Algae absorb carbon dioxide from water and, like all green plants, release oxygen, which living organisms living in water breathe. Oxygen not only dissolves in water, but is also released into the atmosphere.
2. Sedimentary rocks such as diatomites, oil shale, and some limestones arose as a result of the activity of algae in past geological eras.
3. Man uses seaweed in the chemical industry. From them, iodine, potassium salts, cellulose, alcohol, acetic acid and other substances are obtained. Algae are used as fertilizers and fed to livestock. From some types of red algae, a gelatinous substance agar-agar is extracted, which is necessary in the confectionery, baking, paper and textile industries. Microorganisms are grown on agar-agar for laboratory research. In many countries, seaweed is used to prepare a variety of dishes. They are very useful, as they contain a lot of carbohydrates, vitamins, and are rich in iodine. Laminaria (seaweed), ulva (sea lettuce), porphyra, etc. are especially often eaten. Recently, algae have become widely used in cosmetology. Single-celled green algae - Chlamydomonas, Chlorella, etc. - are used in biological wastewater treatment.
4. Seaweed is very healthy, as it contains a lot of carbohydrates, vitamins, and is rich in iodine.

Meaning and Use of Seaweed

On land, the biomass of animals (zoomass) is many times less than the biomass of plants (phytomass). In the World Ocean it is the other way around: zoomass is approximately 20 times greater than phytomass. How can this be explained?

Since the rate of reproduction and growth is higher, the lifespan of plants is longer. In addition, thanks to photosynthesis, plants accumulate biomass (producers) more intensively than animals (consumers). In terrestrial biogeocenoses, the total mass of production is greater for producers, i.e. in plants.
In the oceans, the total mass of phytoplankton is less than that of zooplankton and their consumers (fish, shellfish). Planktonic phytoorganisms grow faster, but die at the same rate, so they cannot increase biomass in large quantities.

Algae are of fundamental importance as a food source for almost all aquatic organisms in exploited aquatic systems, including fish and shellfish. Macroalgae have long been used by humans. Seaweed has been a regular part of the diet on the Chinese coast since 850 BC. (Waaland, 1981). Now they are used for food mainly on the coast of Southeast Asia and on the Pacific Islands. About 160 species of edible macrophytes are known: 25 green, 54 brown and 81 red algae (Chapman and Chapman, 1980). Structural carbohydrates of marine macrophytes are not digested, but some soluble carbohydrates are included in the metabolism. The protein content of edible seaweed can be up to 20-25% dry weight. Seaweed is an excellent source of vitamins.

Seaweed is used as animal feed. The algae is collected, dried, and ground into flour, which is used as a feed additive. Brown algae are mainly used - Laminaria, Ascophyllum.

Seaweed has long been used to produce iodine and soda. Currently, the most important algae extracts used on an industrial scale are alginates, agar and carrageenan (), which find a variety of applications.

Seaweed washed ashore by the surf has long been used as fertilizer along all agricultural coasts.

Green algae are used for food, for wastewater treatment, as fertilizers and feed (Ulva) when growing abalone in Japan (Blinova, Makarova, 1990).

The most promising applications of marine macroalgae are their use as pharmaceuticals.

Table. Use of seaweed around the world (Jensen, 1993)

Product/price/types	Production t/year	Wet weight t/year
Alginate - 230 million US$/year Macrocystis sp., Laminaria sp., Ascophyllum nodosum, Durvillaea sp., Lessonia sp.	27000	500000
Agar - 160 million US$/year Gelidium sp., Gracilaria sp., Gelidiella sp., Pterocladia sp.	11000	180000
Carrageenan - 100 million US$/year Eucheuma sp., Chondrus crispus, Gigartina sp., Furcellaria lumbricalis, Hypnea sp.	15500	250000
Animal feed - 5 million US$/year Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus sp.	10000	50000
Fertilizers (“Maerl”) - 10 million US$/year	510000	550000
Liquid fertilizers - 5 million US$/year	1000	10000
Common Uses of Algae in Industry	1540000
Nori - 1800 million US$/year Porphyra sp.	40000	400000
Wakame - 600 million US$/year Undaria sp.	20000	300000
Kombu - 600 million US$/year kelp	30000	1300000
Common uses of algae as food	2000000

Thalassotherapy. In 1967, the French doctor Bonnardiere coined a new word - “thalassotherapy” (from the Greek thalassa or sea). These techniques have been used in Europe for centuries. Thalassotherapy includes a diet of sea food and seaweed to reduce obesity, drinking sea water, bathing in hot sea water (38.5°C), bathing in sea water in which brown algae is suspended in the form of flour, massage with kelp flour and sea ​​water, swimming in sea water, undergoing mechanical and physical stress on the muscles, applying poultices with bottom mud or radioactive bottom silt, sand baths on the shore and sunbathing. Not all of these uses have medical scientific evidence, but custom (and habits) seem to give them credibility (Arasaki & Arasaki, 1983). In many European countries, with the help of such therapy, ailments such as rheumatism, padagra, neuralgia, asthma, wounds, eczema, hemorrhoids, scrofulosis, neuroses, diseases associated with stress and aging, and restoration of performance are treated (Arasaki, Arasaki, 1983; De Roeck- Holtzhauer, 1991).

Algotherapy is a characteristic use of algae in medicine or cosmetic therapy. In Japan, Eisenia and Ecklonia are added to hot water in the belief that it prevents or treats paralysis and high blood pressure. This type of treatment is always prescribed for those suffering from decompression sickness.

In Western Europe, seaweeds (Fucus, Ascophyllum, Laminaria) are mixed into a paste and sometimes combined with other poultices for use as plasters for arthritic joints or used in combination with massage. In some cases, crushed seaweed and foaming agents are added to the bath to make the skin beautiful (De Roeck-Holtzhauer, 1991). Brown seaweed is often dried, ground, processed into gels (colloidal pastes) or added to soups, in the belief that this promotes loss weight. Substances including alginate from brown algae or carrageenan from red algae are used as beauty products.

Microalgae can be used on the same scale as macroalgae; their use as a source of vitamins, polysaccharides, pigments and fatty acids is increasing (Borowitzka, 1992; Radmer and Parker, 1994). They are also cultivated on a significant scale as a food source in the culture of bivalves and fish larvae.

Almost no dish in Asian countries is complete without edible algae. And if in ancient times most types of algae were treated with caution, now a huge number of algae are known that are actively consumed as food. The main category by which they are divided into varieties is color. They come in red, brown and green.

Seaweed

In the national cuisine of many countries, and not only among residents of Asia, the following names of edible seaweed are considered the most popular and frequently used:

• Kelp, which we used to call seaweed. These algae are brown algae and are considered very useful. Sea kale is recommended to be eaten as part of a diet, and is also added to various dishes to add sophistication to them.
• Fucus bladder also belongs to the category of brown algae. And the uniqueness of this product is that the composition of these algae is similar to blood plasma.
• Spirulina is incredibly popular, but in the CIS countries it can only be purchased as a food additive or semi-finished product. That is why we are trying to grow it under artificial conditions.
• Ulva is a seaweed that is also called sea lettuce. We sell them only in the salted and pickled state. Ulva algae resemble lettuce leaves in appearance and have a rich green color, but not dark, but light. This indicates that these edible green algae contain a large amount of vitamins that have an extremely positive effect on the body.
• Wakame is also classified as a brown seaweed and is most often eaten in dried form.
• Dals are classified as red seaweed and are usually served either fresh or dried.
• Carrageen, often called Irish moss. This species belongs to the brown category and has an elastic, elastic structure that becomes soft after being subjected to heat treatment.

And this list is far from complete, but only contains the most commonly used varieties of algae. A photo of edible algae is presented below.

What properties do algae have?

Also, we must not forget about nori, which is used in making sushi, as well as wakame, agar-agar, kombu and many others. In fact, algae is a multifunctional product; some varieties are also used in the preparation of desserts, as gelling thickeners. Most often, edible algae is used in the preparation of salads and first courses. And seaweed can even be eaten as an independent dish as a side dish.

Freshwater algae

In fact, the first option is not much different from the second. Both seaweed and freshwater algae are very healthy and have an unusual taste. However, the disadvantages immediately include the fact that freshwater algae contains slightly less iodine. The most popular fresh types of edible algae are the following:

• Icelandic algae - rhodemia. This is a real source of useful microelements, and experts advise adding them to the diet of those who suffer from thyroid diseases.
• Lithothamnia is surprising because it has an unusual coral color. But this does not prevent it from occupying a leading position in terms of usefulness among freshwater algae. Edible red algae looks very impressive in dishes.
• Aonori is a frequent guest on the table, because this pleasant aroma, wonderful taste and delicate texture will not leave anyone indifferent.

In order for seaweed to bring maximum benefits to the body, it should be consumed in dried or fresh forms.

Benefits of seaweed

Edible seaweed is a valuable product whose benefits lie in active substances, vitamins, and various elements that have only a positive effect on the human body. One of the most important properties of the product is its antitumor effect. Surprising is the fact that marine life is very similar in composition to human blood. What other properties do these sea plants have?

• Algae contains alginates - substances whose task is to remove heavy metal ions from the body.
• An important factor is that algae contains beneficial fatty acids, which is why regular consumption of sea plants as food is an excellent prevention of rheumatism, diabetes and various diseases of the cardiovascular system.
• Dietary fiber, which algae is rich in, helps cleanse the intestines and generally improve digestion processes.
• Seaweed is also a great way to strengthen the immune system, maintain body tone and get rid of harmful viruses and infections in the early stages.

In addition, some varieties of seaweed are even used in the production of many medicines and health supplements.

The use of algae in cosmetology

But that’s not all, where would cosmetology be without algae? Marine inhabitants are used for many procedures that are carried out in a beauty salon and which can easily be performed at home. You can also find many cosmetic products that contain seaweed. And for those losing weight, algae is a real salvation. This is not only a low-calorie product that will help you lose excess weight, but also an excellent ingredient for body wraps that will help you cope with cellulite and extra inches on your waist.

Eating

Every year, seaweed that can be eaten is becoming more and more popular, which is why it is actively used in preparing the most delicious dishes. Absolutely any product can envy the versatility of algae. Here, side dishes, salads, and appetizers are used, and you can’t go without first and second courses. And dried sea creatures can even become an unusual spice that will add new notes to the taste. The advantage of the product is that it goes well with many vegetables, mushrooms, and fruits.

Harm and contraindications

Algae can cause the greatest harm only if a person has an individual intolerance. To avoid negative consequences, it is better to eat sea plants in moderation. Also, those who suffer from tuberculosis, kidney disease, thyroid disease, or ulcers should be more careful when consuming algae. In these cases, it is better to check with your doctor whether you should eat edible algae or still abstain.

How to use in cooking?

Each variety of seaweed can be prepared differently. For example, doctors recommend adding spirulina to absolutely any second or first course, because it is a real source of vitamins and microelements. Thanks to spirulina, you can make an extravagant dish, as the product gives a pleasant emerald green hue. This type of seaweed is added not only to salads, but also to omelettes, and even to baking dough. This will give the dish an additional pleasant cinnamon flavor. As for ulva, this is almost the number one product in Scandinavian, Irish and, of course, Chinese and Japanese national cuisines. It is most often used in salads and soups, but you can often find sea salad as an independent dish. And if you add lemon juice and a little onion to it, it will turn out very tasty.

You can make real healthy chips from ulva. To do this, you need to thoroughly wash the leaves in salt water and dry them on the windowsill in the sun. After two hours you can crunch on delicious and healthy chips. As for green algae such as aonori, they are loved by chefs for their delicate taste and pleasant aroma. The versatility of the product is amazing. Seaweed can be used as a seasoning, or even simply stewed and served as a side dish along with soy sauce. Using seaweed in familiar dishes is an opportunity to breathe new life into familiar food. Experts recommend buying exclusively dried or fresh seaweed. And do not forget that benefit is a measure; you should not overeat, as in some diseases this can lead to harmful consequences.