Algae are a large and diverse group of aquatic plants that range in size from microscopic single cells to seaweeds the size of trees. Algae’s use in agriculture, animal-husbandry, industrial processes, water treatment and waste mitigation, and in the creation of a huge variety of valuable human products make them a sort of wonder-product of the new millennium.
Food
Algae are particularly exciting as a source of clean, sustainable, and carbon-neutral food that can be grown on land that’s unsuitable for traditional agriculture because of contaminated or poor-quality soil, arid conditions, and other issues. In fact, algae show such promise for their low demand and high productivity that an increasing focus on cultivated algae in places like China could actually signal the end of food scarcity in that country.
Nutrition Powerhouses
The valuable characteristics of algae as a food are so many that they’re hard to enumerate. While specific nutritional levels naturally differ depending on species, geographical location and environmental conditions during production, algae’s ability to offer (nearly?) complete human nutrition is extraordinary:
- Certain types of algae contain virtually all known vitamins. B complex vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, folic acid, and vitamin B12, as well as lipoic acid, which are usually available only in very low amounts in terrestrial crops.
- Algae are rich in antioxidants such as omega-3s, vitamin C, and carotenoids like beta-carotene and lutein.
- Some algae contain bioactive phytochemicals such as flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, steroids and saponins.
- Some types of algae are proven to have complete amino acid profiles, making them a valuable source of protein.
- While algae are low in fat, they do offer both mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as EPA and DHA), and are very rich in carbohydrates, mostly in the form of dietary fiber.
- Algae have an exceptional capacity to absorb and store essential minerals and trace elements, with content as much as 10 to 100 times that of land vegetables, including potassium, sulphur, iron, manganese, copper, zinc and cobalt.
- The two major minerals in the human body, calcium and phosphorus as well as magnesium are so abundant in algae that they surpass the concentrations available in apples, oranges, carrots and potatoes.
- Certain types of algae are rich sources of iodine, an essential element for the maintenance of thyroid health.
Animal Feed
Algae form the foundation of aquatic food chains the world over, but they’re also nutritional powerhouses for land animals. When algae are added to animal feed as a powdered supplement they provide iodine, which is important to the animals’ health but also contributes to available iodine and increased butter-fat content in cows’ milk. Egg production in chickens also benefits.
Agar
Agar is an extract from certain types of seaweed and has long been used for a wide variety of products. In fact, the term agar is the Japanese word for red algae.
- Agar is commonly used as an emulsifier and thickening agent for ice cream, jellies, desserts, etc. It can also be useful in cleaning liquids.
- Beyond food, agar is used to stabilize emulsions such as shaving creams, shampoos and cosmetics, shoe polishes, and even security glass and flameproof plastics.
- Agar is used in sizing textiles and paper products, to improve strength and printability.
- Agar is widely used in biological laboratories for media preparation (think petri dishes)
- Carrageenin is similar to agar and is used in dentistry for making impressions as well as in the manufacturing of straw and felt hats as a stiffening agent.
- Another related seaweed-based product is Algin, which has special colloidal properties that make it well-suited as a suspending agent in compounding drugs. It’s also useful in latex production, as an insulating material, and in the ceramics industry.
