Fish Products and Byproducts Technology

Unit 12 - Seaweeds

12.1. Seaweeds
Seaweeds are one of the economically important marine resources of the oceans. They are primitive group of macro-phytes which do not have flowers, leaves and stems. The size varied from 30-60 cm (smaller green seaweed species) to 20 m in length (giant kelp).
How many species of seaweeds are there in the world?
About 720 species of seaweeds are available in the world, of which 221 species are commercially important. Among these 145 species are used for food purpose and 110 species for phycocolloid production.
What are the chemical constituents of seaweeds?
Seaweeds are very rich source of protein, amino acids, carbohydrate, iodine, minerals, vitamins, trace metals and bioactive compounds. Red seaweed contains 18 types of free amino acids including taurine, which control blood cholesterol. Besides, the red seaweeds is a preferred source of red pigments gamma-phycoerythrin that is used as a fluorescent tag in the medical diagnostic industry. The seaweeds are used as sources of agar, agarose, carragenan, alginates, iodines, etc. Seaweed polysaccharides are used in production of tooth paste, shaving cream, ice-cream, tomato ketch-up, dairy products, meat processing, chocolates, textile printing, paper manufacturing. It is also used in biotechnological and biomedical industries.