In Asia, algae are considered a popular food, but in local waters they are feared as a pest. What some fight in the garden is even selectively bred in other areas. Despite these contradictions, are algae a major economic factor? Read more here.
Can you grow algae?
Algae can certainly be cultivated. This happens primarily in Asia, but now also in Europe. On the one hand, algae are grown as food, but on the other hand they are also a valuable biomass that can be used to produce fuel, for example.
Where are algae grown?
The most important countries for algae cultivation arein Asia Algae have been cultivated there for hundreds of years and are widely used as food. The largest producer is China. But Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea and Japan are also important producing countries for algae. Nowadays, more and more algae are being cultivated in Europe. By the way, algae are not plants, they are just similar to them.
What types of algae are grown?
Both macro and micro algae are grown. The macroalgae cultivated include the species Euchema (seaweed), Gracilaria, Pyropia (nori) and Kappaphycus alvarexii (elkhorn sea moss) from the red algae genus, as well as the brown algae Undaria pinnatifida (wakame) and Sargassum fusiforme (hiziki or hijiki). They all serve as food. Euglena (eye animals) and Chlorella, on the other hand, belong to the microalgae. They are microscopic single-celled organisms.
For what purposes are algae grown?
Many algae are bredfor food purposes, but some are also used as raw materials, for example forenergy productionThe red algae Euchema and Kappaphycus alvarexii are used Production of carrageenan, a thickening agent that is not only popular with vegetarians and vegans.
The gelling agent agar-agar, also simply called agar, is made from the red algae Gracilaria. Hijiki is considered a food in Japan and is consumed on used in a variety of ways in the kitchen. Wakame is ideal as a seasoning or addition to soups.
Can you grow algae yourself?
Yes, you can grow algae yourself. However, this does not happen in the pond, but rather on the windowsill. There the algae receive enough light to extract the required nutrient glucose (sugar) from CO2 (carbon dioxide) and water through photosynthesis.
Tip
Spirulina: an algae that isn't one
Spirulina is often referred to as a microalgae, but strictly speaking it is not an algae at all, but a bacterium. More specifically, it is a cyanobacterium (blue-green bacterium). Cyanobacteria were previously classified as algae because, like them, they are capable of photosynthesis. Nevertheless, spirulina contains numerous vitamins and minerals. Therefore it is considered a superfood.
