AGRITRENDS: The economic importance of seaweeds

A farmer harvesting seaweeds. (Arturo de Vera, Jr.)

The Philippines – with a land area of 30 million hectares and comprises about 7,641 islands of which only 2,000 are inhabited – has 36,289 kilometers of coastlines (that is almost twice that of the United States).

It is no wonder why the country has the second highest number of seagrasses in the world. It has 18 species of sea grasses thriving along its coasts. Only Western Australia, with 30 species, has more than that total.

But what most Filipinos don’t know is that the Philippines is home to several seaweed species, of which only 893 species have been identified so far. A seaweed is not a seagrass nor it is a weed; it is actually marine algae.

“(The Philippines has) 197 species in 20 families for green algae, 153 species in 10 families for brown algae, and 543 species in 52 families for red algae,” said Dr. Marco Nemesio Montaño, of the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, during a seminar on Enhancing Marine and Agricultural Products through Biotechnology some years back.

The Philippines plays a dynamic role as one of the major seaweed producers in the world. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) listed the Philippines as the third producer of seaweeds in the world, behind China and Indonesia.

The Philippines was cited as the fourth largest seaweed-producing country in 2022, contributing 4.19% of the world’s total. China was the top producer as it contributed more than half (58.62%) of the total. Indonesia trailed (28.6%) and then South Korea (5.09%).

Of the seaweeds found in the Philippines, only 5 species are commercially farmed and are commercially available in raw (fresh or dried seaweeds) and processed forms (carrageenan). They are the top aquaculture commodity as they comprise 60%-70% of the country’s total aquaculture production.

Top export

A paper published in Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, the Philippines was ranked as the second largest exporter of dried seaweeds and the largest exporter of semirefined (SRC) and refined carrageenan. Carrageenan is a gelatin-like additive used to thicken, emulsify, and preserve foods and drinks.

“Seaweeds are one of our top fisheries exports,” said Dr. William D. Dar during his stint as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

As a matter of fact, seaweeds are among the major dollar earners. The leading importers of Philippine seaweeds are the United States, China, Spain, Russia, and Belgium, where they are prized for carrageenan.

In 2022, the production volume of seaweeds amounted to approximately 1.5 million metric tons, as per Statista Research Department. That year, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was the top seaweed producer, accounting for more than half of all seaweed production in the country.

Although most of the seaweeds produced in the Philippines comes from Mindanao, the processing facilities, however, are located in Cebu and Manila. As of 2020, the country has about 16 carrageenan processing facilities.

Commercial seaweed farming started in the 1970s. It has grown today as one of the most important aquaculture enterprises. Approximately 1.2 million Filipinos are involved in and benefit from seaweed farming, which provides jobs and improves the socioeconomic status of coastal communities across the country, said the National Seaweed Industry Roadmap.

Experts have identified four primary seaweed producing regions in the country. Tawi-Tawi is the main seaweed producer, earning the nickname “the seaweed capital of the Philippines.” Seaweed farming has been practiced in the province for more than five decades.

The three other top producing regions are Zamboanga Peninsula (particularly Zamboanga), Marinduque-Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro-Romblon-Palawan (mostly in Palawan) and Central Visayas (Bohol).

“The area for expansion of the Philippine seaweed industry is vast and awaiting its full realization,” the seaweed roadmap said. “The potential area for seaweed farming is huge.”

The Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines (SIAP) has estimated an aggregate of 700,000 hectares of the farmable area but so far only 8 percent of these are being used. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), however, reported that current utilization ranges from 16% to 88%.

The two most commercially important seaweeds are Eucheuma and Kappahycus. “The country pioneered the cultivation of carrageenan-bearing seaweeds Eucheuma that led to its dominance in commercial seaweed production and recognition as the top seaweed producer in the international market,” said the seaweeds roadmap.

Challenges and problems

But like any agribusiness ventures, the seaweed industry has its own share of problems. One of these is the erratic fluctuation in production caused by inefficient marketing and unstable buying and pricing policy of traders.

Production of seaweed is also beset with problems. “Productivity of farmed seaweeds has been declining due to predator grazing, the so-called ice-ice phenomenon, ‘aging effect’ and negative growth rates as well as crop losses due to typhoons,” said a brochure on seaweeds published by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). “Lack of quality seedlings or planting materials also hampers the expansion of farm sites.”

Another reason for lower seaweed production in the country is due to climate change. change. SIAP said the ideal temperature for seaweed is below 26 degrees Celsius but in recent years the temperature at the seaweed farms has gone above 26 degrees Celsius. As such, seaweed production has declined by as much as 50 % in some areas in the country.

But despite all these problems, Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III still recommends seaweed farming in the country. “It requires low inputs with high returns on investment,” said the academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology. “It is labor intensive and offers good opportunities for the employment of the otherwise labor force in the coastal areas.”

Food notes

In Asia, seaweeds have been utilized for centuries in salads, soups, and as low calorie dietetic foods. They are consumed by people living in coastal areas, particularly in East Asia (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam), and those living in Indonesia, Belize, Peru, Chile, Scandinavia, Ireland, Wales, the Philippines, and Scotland.

At least 60 varieties of seaweeds found in the Philippines are found to be edible. These include the following: gulamang dagat, gamet, pocpoclo, culot, lato, guso, barls-barls, bulaklak bato, and balbalolang. Some of these varieties are processed into jams, jellies, candies, pickles, baby’s food, and gulaman bars.

Perhaps not too many Filipinos know that certain species of seaweeds thriving in the country’s water may have anti-cancer benefits, DOST reports.

“Researchers from the University of Santo Tomas found that polysaccharides extracted from Codium species, locally known as pukpuklo, are effective against cancer cells and destructive enzymes associated with cancer metastasis,” said a DOST press release.

Dr. Ross Dizon Vasquez, who headed the evaluation of the inhibitory potential of the polysaccharide fractions isolated from Codium species, found that “the seaweed fights destructive enzymes that aid metastasis or spread of cancer to different parts of the body.”

The Codium species used in the study were collected in Ilocos Norte, Aklan, Iloilo, and Cagayan province; they were available seasonally from November to March.

“Seaweeds are potential sources of bioactive/pharmacological compounds, but studies on Philippine seaweeds as source of bioactive hit molecules for treatment of diseases are very few and limited,” explained Dr. Vasquez.

The polysaccharides (carbohydrates) were extracted using standard protocol for isolation of algal polysaccharides. That was the easier part. “The hardest part was the collection of Codium on their sites,” Dr. Vasquez recalled. “There were times that our search was futile because of their seasonality and location. The transport from the place where we collected the seaweeds to Manila was one of the biggest problems due to permit issues and policies in local airports.”

Health-wise

Eating seaweeds is good for your health – especially if you want to have a voluptuous and healthy body – just like those of Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray, the country’s two recent Miss Universe title holders.

Seaweeds have been found to contain fucoxanthin, a pharmacologically active carotenoid commonly distributed in brown algae, according to Dr. Montaño. Currently, the bioactive product is being developed into a slimming supplement or a drug that targets harmful fat.

During his lecture, Dr. Montaño said that in obese animals, the compound appeared to stimulate a protein called UCP1 “which causes fat to be broken down.” The pigment (in the form of fucoxanthinol), he further explained, also caused the liver to produce DHA, which can help cut levels of bad cholesterol associated with obesity and heart disease.

In a new human clinical trial, a patent-pending extract of fucoxanthin showed promising results for fat loss in humans. “By stimulating the expression of UCP-1 gene in white adipose tissues, fucoxanthin promotes thermogenesis (fat burning) in white fat cells. No jitters, loss of sleep, or stimulation side effects since the thermogenic effect is achieved without stimulating the central nervous system,” Dr. Montaño said.

Another bioactive product present in seaweeds is fucoidan, sulfated polysaccharide from brown algae known for its ability to act as an anti-contraceptive and reduce cholesterol levels.

Fucoidan also has anti-cancer and anti-thrombotic traits and can also be used as an anti-tumor agent and against the white spot syndrome virus.

According to some studies, seaweed consumption reduces the risk of obesity by 43%, breast cancer by 58%, risk for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (34% for men and 20% for women), and cardiovascular mortality by 27%.

Based on research, feasting on seaweeds can also lessen the risk of osteoporosis (a disease in which bone weakening increases the risk of a broken bone) by 78% and allergic rhinosinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses and nasal cavity) among pregnant women by 49%.

As seaweed is recognized as having some antioxidant elements, some scientists are trying to validate whether seaweed-based carrageenan powder as a blending agent on processed foods can fight cancer and other ailments.

Seaweed wine

The Iloilo Science and Technology University, with support from the DOST’s Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), has created new wine products from underutilized seaweeds.

The seaweed species used in making wine were Turbinaria spp., Ulva spp., and Acanthophora spicifera. All these are abundant in the coastal towns of San Dionisio, Concepcion, and Estancia in Northern Iloilo.

Initial results of the project showed that pure blends of the seaweed wines were found to have higher total phenolic, flavonoid, and tannin contents than commercially available wines.

The seaweed wines developed by the project team have shown favorable results with a pH ranging from 4.0 to 5.0 and alcohol content ranging from 8.2 to 11.4%.

To enhance the taste and odor of the wine, the project also developed formulations with added fruits such as mangoes and pineapples.

“The seaweed wine project is one of the many projects under this area that explores the health benefits of locally-sourced food products having health advantages beyond their distinctive nutritional benefits,” the PCHRD said.

Rice yield booster

Some years back, scientists from the National Crop Protection Center at the University of the Philippines Los Banos conducted a thorough research on the carrageenan and employed innovative technology which resulted in boosting rice yield by more than 65%.

These Filipino scientists found that when polysaccharide is reduced to tiny sizes by a safe technology process called irradiation, it can be an effective growth promoter and makes rice resistant to major pests. In fact, at very small doses, it is an effective organic fertilizer.

Carrageenan as a growth enhancer offers an array of benefits that result in improved productivity. Used properly as prescribed, it makes the rice stem stronger thus improving rice resistance to lodging. It also promotes resistance to rice tungro virus and bacterial leaf blight therefore giving farmers increased harvest.

What is good in this seaweed additive is that it is compatible with the traditional practice of fertilizer application, thereby allowing easy acceptance and less resistance from farmers. It also promotes sustainable agriculture since it is environment-friendly and enhances the presence of natural enemies that fight major pests in rice fields. Lastly, it promotes more efficient absorption of plant nutrients that enables improved growth.

In a field trial conducted in Bulacan by the research team using carrageenan, rice yield was significantly increased by 63.6 – 65.4%.This treatment provided higher grain weight (of 450 grams and 455 grams, respectively) compared to traditional farmers’ practice of applying nine (9) bags of fertilizer per hectare that yielded only 275 grams.

Application of six bags of fertilizer per hectare plus 200 parts per million (or 20 milliliters) of carrageenan is more or less comparable with the application of just three bags of fertilizer per hectare with the same mixture.

Meanwhile, “the global demand for seaweeds and their derivatives is expanding,” said the seaweed roadmap. “Its reputation as healthy food and the heightened popularity of Japanese cuisines build up the demand along with the increased usage in other applications such as food gels, processed meats, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, fertilizers, and biotechnology, among others.”

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