Species

The word Seaweed is a collective term for macroscopic, multicellular marine algaes which include red, brown and green algaes. This project will focus on investigating the processing and extraction of a range of local Welsh seaweeds detailed below, which have traditionally been used in food applications.

Saccharina latissima

• A brown algae (class Phaeophyceae), of the family Laminariaceae. It is also known by the common name sea belt. It is found from the sublittoral fringe down to a depth of 30 m.
• Typically harvested for use as ‘Kombu Royale’, a much sought after version of 'Kombu', and is a traditional Japanese additive for all kinds of bean-based stews. Saccharina latissima is highly prized as it is a sweeter kelp as the fronds contain the sugar and mannitol

Palmaria palmata (Dulse)

• A common red seaweed (Rhodophyta) palmaria is intertidal and shallow sub tidal up to a depth of 20 m on rocky shores and is named for its resemblance to the palm of the human hand (Latin, palma).
• A nutritious seaweed, which contains all the trace elements needed by humans and containing up to 35% protein and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, iron and beta carotene
• Dulse is harvested for its health benefits and for making skin care and cosmetic products and is commonly used as both food and medicine.

Ulva lactuca

• A common green seaweed (Chlorophyta) commonly known as green laver or sea lettuce, Ulva can be found attached to rocks or other algae in the intertidal zone on shores around the British Isles and else where around the world
• A very rich source of iron, this species may be eaten raw as a salad vegetable, air-dried and used in soups or pressed into thin sheets.

Porphyra spp. (Nori)

• Porphyra is the name for a genus of red seaweed that grows in intertidal to shallow subtidal areas of coastal waters around the world. “Laver”, “nori", and “kim” are all common names for Porphyra.
• Nori is the purplish-black seaweed often seen wrapped around a small handful of rice in sushi. It comes largely from cultivation in Japan, the Republic of Korea and China.
• Nori grows as a very thin, flat, reddish blade
• The characteristic taste of nori is caused by the large amounts of three amino acids: alanine, glutamic acid and glycine.