Seaweed Factory Products and Classifications

Seaweed factory or industry offer wide range of products globally. The uses of seaweeds have been known since long ago even centuries for not only food source, but also for medicines, cosmetics, and agricultural fertilizer. Nowadays, the benefits of using seaweeds products can contribute to large number of total annual value in aquaculture industry. Before processed, the factory will take the seaweed either from natural or wild seaweed and farmed or cultivated crops. Meanwhile, the seaweed farming has been rapidly growing globally due to the high demand that exceed the supply of seaweed in natural sources such as the ocean. 

Seaweed factory products and classifications
Based on pigmentation, seaweed can be classified into three different types which are red, green, and red seaweeds. The brown type is mainly used as food source and hydrocolloid extract which is alginate by the seaweed factory. Meanwhile, just like brown seaweed, the red type used as food as well as two hydrocolloids extracts carrageenan and agar.
Seaweeds are mostly used for wide variety of products including:
1.      Seaweed as foods
Seaweeds have been used as food for centuries especially in Asia countries such as Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, Malaysian, and so on. Nowadays, the use of seaweeds largely reaches around the world including United States and Europe countries. People in Japan and China consume seaweeds on the large scale and the most famous seaweed food product in Japan is Nori. Today, you can also easily purchase many nori product brands at major supermarkets or groceries worldwide. Nori is processed by seaweed factory into paper-like thin sheet and can be eaten alone as snacks or used to make sushi roll like nori sushi or onigiri sushi. Nori is type of dried seaweed and usually cut into 18 to 20 cm sheets in size. Less transparence and darker nori sheet color considered to be the best one.

 

The use of kelps which often called haidai in China and Kombu in Japan has been found long ago at least in 5^th century. The seaweed plants harvested from the waters and after that dried then processed into powder or cut into strip. In Japan, kombu is used in many dishes such as preparation of meat dishes, fish dishes, or simply as veggies served with rice. Kombu in the form of powder can be used as infusion similar to the tea. They added to soups and sauces as well.
In fact, there are many food products made by seaweed factory suppliers in order to create delicious foods and sold into markets. Agar-agar, for example, can be used in the preparation of jelly, ice cream, desserts and many more.
2.      Other uses of seaweeds
Besides food source, seaweeds can be used in other ways including:
-          Cosmetics: If you can pay attention to the cosmetic packages, there are many cosmetic manufacturers use seaweed extract as one of the ingredients to make their products. The use of seaweed as cosmetics particularly for hand, face, and body lotions or creams. You can found seaweed extract packed into sachets and then sold as bath water and sometime the cosmetic seaweed factory add extra essential oils. Minerals and vitamins contained in the seaweeds are believed to enhance healthy skins, hairs, and nails.

-          Fertilizers and soils: Seaweeds can be used as fertilizers and soils for both agriculture farms and home garden. The seaweeds will be processed and then extracted into liquid fertilizer and then sprinkle into the plants. Seaweeds contain minerals which are useful for plant growth and therefore many factories using this seaweed benefits to make processed seaweed fertilizers and soils. Large brown seaweeds are specially is used.
-          Animal and fish feed: Animals such as horses, cattle, and sheep which rise near coastal area often being feed on seaweed and the use of seaweeds have been increased thanks to the production of seaweed meal. That also similar with fish farming and even there is also fresh seaweed as a feed for Abalone fish.

-          Medicine: It has been centuries, seaweeds are used as traditional medicines to treat several diseases. The nutrients like minerals and vitamins in the seaweeds can be used to treat either internal and external injuries or illnesses. For example, seaweed rich in iodine used to treat thyroid issues like goiter for centuries especially by Asian people. And today, many drug manufacturers use seaweeds as part of their medicine.
Those seaweed factory products can be found globally in market and they are now part of important aquaculture industries.