By Henrylito D. Tacio
Seaweeds – those marine plants that grow abundantly in shallow reef flats and in lagoons with a water depth of less than two meters at high tide – are recognized as having some “anti-oxidant” elements.
Because of this, scientists from the Southern Philippines Agri-Business Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) are developing value-added products that use seaweed-based carrageenan powder on foods such as cakes, pastries, and cured meat products like sausages, hotdogs, and chorizos.
“We’re trying to make these products more nutritious by adding more vitamins – while blending them with carrageenan,” Jesebel Besas, a food scientist at SPAMAST, was quoted as saying by the state-run Philippine News Agency.
One reason they are focusing on seaweeds is its medicinal properties. “It’s a real possibility that we’ll try to verify and validate at our laboratories – that blending seaweed powder in processed foods can fight cancer. (But) we still need to validate this,” Besas pointed out.
Davao del Sur is part of the Davao Gulf, which has an area of 308,000 hectares. Its water is regarded as one of most favorable habitats for marine creatures. In fact, it is home to at least 10 species of toothed whales and dolphins. Most parts of the gulf are conducive to growing seaweeds.
“Over the years, the economic contribution of seaweed resources to the country’s economy has been recognized and interest in their development has been growing particularly with the increasing demand in the foreign trade for these resources as raw materials for many industries,” said the primer on the status of seaweed industry in the Philippines.
Seaweeds are economically important as raw material for the source of carrageenan, an algal colloid that has various food and industrial applications. Kappaphycus and Eucheuma are the most common commercially cultured species and comprise the seaweed industry in the Philippines.
In 2010, total seaweed production in the country was 84,500 metric tons and semi-refined carrageenan production was 2,592 metric tons. “Seaweeds rank as the country’s second major fishery export in 2010 with a collective volume of 34,504 metric tons valued at US$155.6 million,” reports the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD).
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the commercial production of seaweeds through farming is presently limited to a few countries in East Asia, making it a high value crop with a high demand in the world market. The Philippines is noted for the culture of seaweeds along with Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan.
Major industrial commodity
“Seaweed is a major industrial commodity and Southern Mindanao has vast coastal resources that can support its production,” an official of the Department of Trade and Industry was quoted as saying by Sunstar Davao in 2010.
But despite its extensive water resources, Davao region lags behind all other regions in terms of volume produced and areas developed for this purpose. Seaweed has a considerable potential in both local and international markets, with demand rising at a rate of 5 to 10 percent every year with China as the biggest importer.
Domingo Ang, chair of the Davao chapter of PhilExport, told Davao media in 2010: “Our China buyer told us we produce one of the world’s highest quality seaweeds here… and wants us to produce more so he can buy more volume.”
Unfortunately, three years later, Davao still cannot meet the volume required by Chinese buyers as the output is still minimal. “China is still buying seaweeds. But we can’t supply their big volume demand for dried seaweeds at this time,” Ang, who is also the seaweed industry cluster chair, was quoted as saying.
The Philippines, with a total coastline of 36,289 kilometers, has marine resources that provide food to millions of Filipinos and livelihood to a great number of rural families. Seaweeds grow abundantly in shallow reef flats and in lagoons with a water depth of less than two meters at high tide.
The Philippines is home to various kinds of seaweeds, of which 390 species have been identified as having economic value as food, animal feeds, fertilizers, diet supplement, medicines, and raw materials for industrial products.
Seaweed draws an extraordinary wealth of mineral elements from the sea that can account for up to 36 percent of its dry mass, according to Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda, director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine at Portland, Oregon.
What’s in seaweeds?
Nutrition experts classify seaweed as one of the richest plant sources of calcium. Its calcium content is typically about 4-7 percent of dry matter. At 7 percent calcium, one gram of dried seaweed provides 70 milligrams of calcium, compared to a daily dietary requirement of about 1,000 milligrams. Still, this is higher than a serving of most non-milk based foods.
Protein content in seaweed varies somewhat. It is low in brown algae at 5-11 percent of dry matter, but comparable in quantitative terms to legumes at 30-40 percent of dry matter in some species of red algae. Green algae also have significant protein content, that is, up to 20 percent of dry matter. Spirulina, a micro-alga, is well known for its very high content: 70 percent of dry matter.
Seaweed contains several vitamins. Red and brown algae are rich in carotenes and are used, in fact, as a source of natural mixed carotenes for dietary supplements. The content ranges from 20-170 parts per million. The vitamin C in red and brown algae is also notable, with contents ranging from 500-3000 parts per million. Other vitamins are also present, including B12, which is not found in most land plants.
Dr. Dharmananda claims seaweed has very little fat, ranging from 1-5 percent of dry matter, “although seaweed lipids have a higher proportion of essential fatty acids than land plants.” Green algae, whose fatty acid make-up is the closest to higher plants, have a much higher oleic and alpha-linoleic acid content.
Seaweed has high fiber content, making up 32 percent to 50 percent of dry matter. The soluble fiber fraction accounts for 51-56 percent of total fibers in green and red algae and for 67-87 percent in brown algae. Soluble fibers are generally associated with having cholesterol-lowering and hypoglycemic effects.
Other uses
In Asia, seaweed is a popular ingredient of some recipes. China’s zicai, Korea’s gim, and Japan’s nori are actually sheets of dried Porphyra species used in soups or to wrap sushi. Chondrus crispus (commonly known as Irish moss or carrageenan moss) is a red alga used in producing various food additives. Affectionately called dulce in northern Belize, seaweeds are mixed with milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla to make a common beverage.
In Tiwi, Albay, some residents have discovered a pansit (noodles) made from seaweed, which has health benefits. The seaweed noodle is rich in calcium and magnesium and can be cooked into pansit canton, pansit luglug, spaghetti, and carbonara.
So far, four species – Halimada, Hypnea, Sargassum, and Asparagopsis – have been used as feed or fodder for livestock. Species of Cladophora, Enteromorpha, Chaetomorpha, and Gracilaria are used to supplement or substitute for fishfood for cultured herbivorous fish.
The high potassium content of brown seaweeds like Sargassum, Turbinaria, Hormophysa, and Hydroclathrus make them ideal substitutes for costly fertilizer. In Kidapawan City, Jose Riga has developed an all-purpose seaweed-based organic fertilizer and soil conditioner in stabilized pellets. The fertilizer is made from brown seaweed, cattle manure, stabilizing compounds and an organic binder fortified with soluble compounds of a number of nutrients.
