Page 287 - Algae Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology

270 Algae: Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Biotechnology

TABLE 7.5
Summary of Edible Algae and the Corresponding Food Item

Scientific Name Common Name Class
Nostoc flagelliforme Facai Cyanophyceae
Arthrospira sp. Dihe ´/Tecuitlatl Cyanophyceae
Chondrus crispus Pioca/Irish moss Floridophyceae
Porphyra spp. Nori/Laber/Zicai Bangiophyceae
Palmaria (Rodimenia) palmata Dulse Floridophyceae
Callophyllis variegata Carola Floridophyceae
Asparagopsis taxiformis Limu kohu Floridophyceae
Gigartina spp. Botelhas Floridophyceae
Gracilaria coronopifolia Limu manauea Floridophyceae
Gracilaria parvisipora Ogo Floridophyceae
Gracilaria verucosa Ogo-nori/Sea moss Floridophyceae
Sargassum echinocarpum Limu kala Pheophyceae
Dictyopteris plagiogramma Limu lipoa Pheophyceae
Undaria pinnatifida Wakame Pheophyceae
Laminaria spp. Kombu Pheophyceae
Nereocystis spp. Black kelp Pheophyceae
Hizikia fusiforme Hiziki/Hijiki Pheophyceae
Alaria esculenta Oni-wakame Pheophyceae
Cladosiphon okamuranus Mozuku Pheophyceae
Codium edule Limu wawale’iole Bryopsidophyceae
Enteromorpha prolifera Limu ’ele’ele/green laver Ulvophyceae
Ulva fasciata Limu palahalaha Ulvophyceae
Caulerpa lentillifera Limu Eka Charophyceae
Monostroma nitidum Aonori Ulvophyceae

dates back to 1658, when the gelling properties of agar, extracted with hot water from a red macro-
algae, were first discovered in Japan. Extracts of Irish moss (Chondrus crispus), another red macro-
algae, contain carrageenan and were popular as thickening agents in the 19th century. It was not
until the 1930s that extracts of brown macroalgae, containing alginate, were produced commer-
cially and sold as thickening and gelling agents. Industrial uses of macroalgae extracts expanded
rapidly after the Second World War, but were sometimes limited by the availability of raw
materials. Once again, research into life cycles has led to the development of cultivation industries
that now supply a high proportion of the raw materials for some hydrocolloids. Today, approxi-
mately 1 million tons of wet macroalgae are harvested annually and extracted to produce the
above three hydrocolloids. Total hydrocolloid production is in the region of 55,000 tons/yr, with
a value of 585 million U.S. dollars.
There are a number of artificial products reputed to be suitable replacements for macroalgae
gums but none have the exact gelling and viscosity properties of macroalgae gums and it is very
unlikely that macroalgae will be replaced as the source of these polysaccharides in the near future.

Agar

Agar, a general name for polysaccharides extracted from some red algae, is built up of alternating
D- and L-galactopyranose units. The name agar is derived from a Malaysian word “agar-agar,”
which literally means “macroalgae.” As the gelling agent “kanten,” it is known from Japan since
the 17th century; extracts from red macroalgae were carried up the mountains to freeze overnight