Marine macroalgae

During the last decade global production of marine macroalgae has increased rapidly due to expanding aquacultures. In Europe seaweed is used mainly by the textile, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. The extracted p olysaccharides of the algae are used in food products (e. g. dairy products , fruit juices, dressings, pudding, jam or tinned meat) as texturing, thick ing and gel ling agents. There are three important types of carbohydrates ( phycocolloids): agar-agar, carageenan and alginate. In the Asian countries, producing 80 % of the global algea, a considerable part is directly used f or human nutrition. The high vitamin and mineral content of sea vegetables is their most obvious health benefit. Algae have more of vitamin A, B and C than fresh fruits and vegetables. They also contain more minerals than any other kind of food, and high levels of trace elements as iron or iodine. S eaweed hence is interesting especially for vegetarians. However, the vitami n content of different species varies with season, environmental conditions , freshness and method of preservation. In view of the limited nutrient sup ply from the terrestrial ecosystem, seaweed seems to be a promising food re source.