-Hemit Fofandi
Introduction
Algae are simple organisms. There are many unicellular, while others are multicellular and more complex, but they all have rudimentary conducting tissues. They also exhibit a wide range of variation from a morphological and reproductive point of view. Algae are biochemically and physiologically very similar to the plants. they generally have the same metabolic pathways, possess chlorophyll, and produce similar proteins and carbohydrates. Some algae, such as euglenophytes, dinophytes and ochrophytes, have lost their photosynthetic capacity and live as saprophytes or parasites. However, there are also some, such as green algae, in which more than a hundred heterotrophic species have been described. An essential characteristic which distinguishes algae from other photosynthetic plants is their lack of an embryo and multicellular envelope around the sporangia and gametangia (except for freshwater green algae, charophytes). Algae are different from fungi, fungi lack photosynthetic capacity. Algae have a wide range of uses across various fields.
Marine algae and food industry
As we all know basis for a balanced human body and mind development is good nutrition. And that nutrition can be provided by marine algae. There are macroalgae (seaweed) and microalgae (fresh water). Many seaweed species have been consumed for centuries in Japan, China and Korea, partly for their nutritional and healing properties. and recently western culture is also taking seaweed in a diets in search for a healthier and more environmental friendly lifestyle. For that Seaweed farming can be considered as a key environmental service for coastal areas since seaweeds uptake inorganic nutrients from the water where they grow, a natural process known as bioremediation, which allows lowering the risk of coastal eutrophication. This has been done in a natural and unintentional way for many years in China and Japan with the massive cultivation of Saccharina japonica. and now in India also seaweed culture is starting in which Indian government provides subsidies to farmers and fishermen. Seaweed provides macronutrients as well as micronutrients and, new demand for gluten-free products in the baking industry may lead to the application of seaweed polysaccharides as gluten substitutes. They are used to produce food additives like agar, carrageenan, and alginate, which are used as thickeners and stabilizers in food products, red species Gracilaria is currently the main raw material for agar extraction.
Gracilaria
MoorAgar is company which provided top quality, consistent agar and agar related product since 1935. They use Gelidium and Gracilaria for production.
Saccharina japonica
It is one of the two most consumed species in china and japan. It is also used for production of alginates.
Agriculture
Algae have several uses in agriculture such as production of nutraceuticals such as omega-3 fatty acids, Natural food colorants and dyes, Fertilizers etc. fertilizers are now in huge need because chemical fertilizers are causing soil pollution and people are starting to get aware and want to take action against it so that is why currently algae which is natural product and having the vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins which are essential for plants is going to be used to produce fertilizers. Brown and red algae are the types of algae commonly used as farmland fertilizer. Both of these types of algae are rich in potassium. Potassium can help enhance root growth and improve the plants’ drought resistance.
Sargassum (brown algae)
It is use in production of fertilizer, cocktail drinks, paper products etc.
Other uses
Marine algae are incredibly versatile organisms with a wide range of applications across various industries. algae are being explored as a sustainable source of biofuels, such as biodiesel and bioethanol, which could reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. The pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries utilize algae for their bioactive compounds, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. They are also used in bioremediation to clean up polluted water by absorbing heavy metals and other contaminants. And now marine algae are being explored as a biodegradable plastic which is bioplastics because of usage of one time use plastic causing pollution. Lastly, algae are vital for oxygen production through photosynthesis, significantly contributing to the Earth’s oxygen supply.
Reference
Marine Algae: Biodiversity, Taxonomy, Environmental Assessment, and Biotechnology edited by Leonel Pereira and João M. Neto
Journal: Algae, Algologia
Photos: Google
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