For almost a decade, this group of plants attract my attention so much. Almost not a single day passed by without at least once these plants being mentioned in my conversation. Haha.. I do not know how my wife think about me, the seaweedman! Maybe she think I found something new to be crazy about, except this time the craziness go a little bit longer time than the previous one (what was that ya?... well maybe seafood, I guess).My interest with these kind of plants started when I was heading a division in a governmental agency to propagate the development of seaweed industry in my country. The program initially just to increase the income and improve the livelihood of fishermen families but was transformed into developing an industry due to big potential it hold.
After retiring from governmental services (early retirement, actually) I tried to do some other businesses but some friends refer to me a group of investors who wanted to seriously involve in seaweed processing and wanted me to give my opinion on their proposal. From a simple idea, now I am almost hooked to these plants because the first group now introduce me to their friends with the same interest, investing in seaweed processing.
Ok, there are thousands of seaweed species available all over the world. First time I spoke my project to the a banker, she immediately asked me about the "skin" of the sushi, either that kind of product that I am interested of? When told I am going to extract hydrocolloids from the seaweeds, she look blank but immediately understand the words emulsifier, stabilizer and conditioner. Well at least she understood the usage of some seaweed extracts.
In my country, only few species cultured for commercial usage or for direct human consumption. Strangely, most of this seaweeds being called by a common name, Agar-agar. To my knowledge, agar-agar always refer to at least 3 kind of seaweed species, the Kappaphycus alvarazi (commercially called Euchema cottoni), Kappaphycus denticulatum (a.k.a Euchema spinosum) and Glacilaria changii. K. alvarazi is the single largest species being cultivated in my country due to high demand from processors of Kappa Carrageenan, an important ingredient for food, beverages, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and other industries. Second important seaweed species is K. denticulatum which being processed to get Iota Carrageenan, another kind of gelling carrageenans.
Glacilaria sp. being use to extract agar which being use in food industry to produce popular desert agar gel and agarose (being used in microbiological media culture) was known by many people but there is no single plantation available (except some research ponds own by governmental agencies and universities). The same species also being called by local name "sare" which is local dialect for sarang (bird nest) due to its appearance that similar to component of bird nest. I manage to saw some of this plant growing freely in some abandoned shrimp ponds in northern part of my country. It growing well and can be introduce as another sea plant which have high value addition potential.
In some part of my country, seaweed being eaten raw. I will tell you later about how my people prepare their seaweed dishes... hahaha.. I am not good in food preparation. need to ask my wife first, if she might know such dishes...
Ok, there are thousands of seaweed species available all over the world. First time I spoke my project to the a banker, she immediately asked me about the "skin" of the sushi, either that kind of product that I am interested of? When told I am going to extract hydrocolloids from the seaweeds, she look blank but immediately understand the words emulsifier, stabilizer and conditioner. Well at least she understood the usage of some seaweed extracts.
In my country, only few species cultured for commercial usage or for direct human consumption. Strangely, most of this seaweeds being called by a common name, Agar-agar. To my knowledge, agar-agar always refer to at least 3 kind of seaweed species, the Kappaphycus alvarazi (commercially called Euchema cottoni), Kappaphycus denticulatum (a.k.a Euchema spinosum) and Glacilaria changii. K. alvarazi is the single largest species being cultivated in my country due to high demand from processors of Kappa Carrageenan, an important ingredient for food, beverages, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and other industries. Second important seaweed species is K. denticulatum which being processed to get Iota Carrageenan, another kind of gelling carrageenans.
Glacilaria sp. being use to extract agar which being use in food industry to produce popular desert agar gel and agarose (being used in microbiological media culture) was known by many people but there is no single plantation available (except some research ponds own by governmental agencies and universities). The same species also being called by local name "sare" which is local dialect for sarang (bird nest) due to its appearance that similar to component of bird nest. I manage to saw some of this plant growing freely in some abandoned shrimp ponds in northern part of my country. It growing well and can be introduce as another sea plant which have high value addition potential.
In some part of my country, seaweed being eaten raw. I will tell you later about how my people prepare their seaweed dishes... hahaha.. I am not good in food preparation. need to ask my wife first, if she might know such dishes...
