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Digital library
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“No more cutting trees for paper, no more cutting of trees to make paper. We will produced paper from red seaweed, ” said You H Churl, from South Korea, with serious facial expression.
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We investigated the patterns and controls of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) production by the giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) using data from short-term in situ incubations of entire blades and portions of stipes. These data were incorporated into an empirical model of reef-scale net primary production (NPP) at Mohawk Reef in southern California, U.S.A. for an 8-yr period. Rates of DOC release of incubated blades varied unpredictably with time of year, but were significantly related to the irradiance at the sea surface during the incubations. The growth stage, C/N ratio, and epiphyte load of the blades and the temperature of the ocean during the incubations had no discernable effect on rates of DOC release. Blades produced on average 2–3 times more DOC than stipes, and stipes and blades produced on average 30% and 80% more DOC respectively during the day compared to the night. Modeled DOC NPP at the reef scale was on average highest in summer and spring (0.5 g C m22d21) and lowest in winter and autumn (0.31 g C m22d21), but it varied greatly among years for any given season as large oscillations in standing biomass led to corresponding fluctuations in reef-scale DOC NPP. The fraction of NPP released as DOC was highly variable when examined at the monthly time scale, but became much more stable at seasonal and annual time scales averaging 14% of total NPP
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Spirulina biomass accounts for 30% of the total algae biomass production globally. In conventional process of Spirulina biomass production, cultivation using chemical-based culture medium contributes 35% of the total production cost. Moreover, the environmental impact of cultivation stage is the highest among all the production stages which resulted from the extensive usage of chemicals and nutrients. Thus, various types of culture medium such as chemical-based, modified, and alternative culture medium with highlights on wastewater medium is reviewed on the recent advances of culture media for Spirulina cultivation. Further study is needed in modifying or exploring alternative culture media utilising waste, wastewater, or by-products from industrial processes to ensure the sustainability of environment and nutrients source for cultivation in the long term. Moreover, the current development of utilising wastewater medium only support the growth of Spirulina however it cannot eliminate the negative impacts of wastewater. In fact, the recent developments in coupling with wastewater treatment technology can eradicate the negative impacts of wastewater while supporting the growth of Spirulina. The application of Spirulina cultivation in wastewater able to resolve the global environmental pollution issues, produce value added product and even generate green electricity. This would benefit the society, business, and environment in achieving a sustainable circular bioeconomy.
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Seas and oceans represent a big store for beneficial algae. It is a real fact that the importance of marine organisms as a source of new substances is growing. With marine species comprising approximately a half of the total global biodiversity, the sea offers an enormous resource for novel compounds and it is classified as the largest remaining reservoir of natural molecules to be evaluated for drug activity. A very different kind of substances have been obtained from marine organisms among other reasons because they are living in a very exigent, competitive and aggressive surrounding very different in many aspects from the terrestrial environment, a situation that demands the production of quite specific and potent active molecules. The present review is focusing on the following topics: Seaweeds in India, nutritional and medicinal values of seaweeds, antimicrobial activity of seaweeds and uses of seaweeds.
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Seaweed is a general nomenclature used species of algae and marine plants breed in water bodies like rivers and oceans. They grow in a wide range of sizes from microscopic to stupendous. Seaweed, or macroalgae as it is known scientifically, includes over 10,000 species of the fastest growing plants on earth. Seaweeds come in an amazing variety of beautiful shapes, colors and sizes, and are found in all of the World. They are most abundant in shallow rocky coastal areas, especially where they are exposed at low tide. Seaweed is taxonomically classified under four groups according to the color of photosynthetic pigments namely red algae (rhodophyta), brown algae (phaeophyta), green algae (chlorophyta), and blue-green algae (cyanophyta).
Seaweeds are one of the most nutritionally and therapeutically valuable foods. Their value to health is largely due to their high mineral content and the therapeutic sulfated polysaccharides. Seaweeds are also a source of all the known vitamins, chlorophylls, lignans, polyphenols, antioxidants and chemical diversity including pigments, polysacccharides, organic, and inorganic compounds which are used as animal fodder, food, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmeceutical.
The aim of this review is to accumulate in brief, the therapeutics and medicinal uses of seaweed on the some mentioned ailments.
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The Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group is an informal group of international experts working collaboratively to conduct research and develop support for research to optimize the use of plant feedstuffs in aquaculture diets.
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HIGHLIGHTS
1. Global aquaculture production continues to increase, whilst capture fisheries stagnate. Many wild fisheries have been overexploited. Cultivation, if managed sustainably, is a viable alternative.
2. The seaweed industry is undergoing a rapid global expansion and currently accounts for ~49% of the total mariculture production. Unabated exponential growth in the last 50 years has meant that the value of the industry reached US$6.4 billion in 2014, providing jobs, predominantly in developing and emerging economies.
3. There is increasing need to address new challenges imposed by trade and market demand. Case studies clearly show that
valuable lessons can be drawn from the major seaweed-producing nations and other aqua- and agriculture sectors.
4. Improving biosecurity, disease prevention and detection measures are critical, together with establishing policies and institutions. This will provide incentives and steer the long-term economic and environmental development of a sustainable seaweed aquaculture industry.
5. This policy brief highlights key issues that need to be addressed to create longterm sustainability of this emerging global industry, as it prepares itself for playing an important role in the ‘blue’ ocean economy agenda. -
In this study the efficacy of using marine macroalgae as a source for polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are associated with the prevention of inflammation, cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders, was investigated. The fatty acid (FA) composition in lipids from seven sea weed species from the North Sea (Ulva lactuca, Chondrus crispus, Laminaria hyperborea, Fucus serratus, Undaria pinnatifida, Palmaria palmata, Ascophyllum nodosum) and two from tropical seas (Caulerpa taxifolia, Sargassum natans) was determined using GCMS. Four independent replicates were taken from each seaweed species. Omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), were in the concentration range of 2-14 mg/g dry matter (DM), while total lipid content ranged from 7-45 mg/g DM. The n-9 FAs of the selected seaweeds accounted for 3%-56% of total FAs, n-6 FAs for 3%-32% and n-3 FAs for 8%-63%. Red and brown seaweeds contain arachidonic (C20:4, n-6) and/or eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA, C20:5, n-3), the latter being an important "fish" FA, as major PUFAs while in green seaweeds these values are low and mainly C16 FAs were found. A unique observation is the presence of another typical "fish" fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6, n-3) at ≈ 1 mg/g DM in S. natans. The n-6: n-3 ratio is in the range of 0.05-2.75 and in most cases below 1.0. Environmental effects on lipid-bound FA composition in seaweed species are discussed. Marine macroalgae form a good, durable and virtually inexhaustible source for polyunsaturated fatty acids with an (n-6) FA: (n-3) FA ratio of about 1.0. This ratio is recommended by the World Health Organization to be less than 10 in order to prevent inflammatory, cardiovascular and nervous system disorders. Some marine macroalgal species, like P. palmata, contain high proportions of the "fish fatty acid" eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5, n-3), while in S. natans also docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6, n-3) was detected.
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PDF of picture slides of Porphyra culture in Nantong, Jiangsu Province.
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Marine Agronomy Group, CAFNRM, UH-Hilo
200 W. Kawili st., HI 96720, USA
Contact: Marine.Agronomy.Group@gmail.com
Funding for this web portal is provided by the World Wildlife Fund and the University of Hawaii-Hilo.