Gracilaria Explained

Gracilaria, also known as irish moss or ogonori,[1] is a genus of red algae in the family Gracilariaceae. It is notable for its economic importance as an agarophyte meaning that it is used to make agar, as well as its use as a food for humans and various species of shellfish. Various species in the genus are cultivated among Asia, South America, Africa and Oceania. They produce over 90% of the world's agar.[1]

Taxonomy

Gracilaria contains the following subtaxa:[2]

Distribution

Gracilaria are found in warm waters throughout the world, though they also occur seasonally in temperate waters. It can not tolerate temperatures below 10°C. Gracilaria are found in all oceans except the Arctic. Their center of diversity is the Western Pacific, where they have been traditionally cultivated as a source of agar.[3] [4]

Use

Gracilaria is used as a food in Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean and Sri Lankan cuisines.[5] [6] In Japanese cuisine, it is called ogonori or ogo. In the Philippines, it is called gulaman and used to make a gelatin substitute.[7] In Jamaica, it is known as Irish moss.[8] In Korea, it is known as kkosiraegi.

Gracilaria oligosaccharides with degree of polymerization 6 prepared by agarase digestion from agar-bearing Gracilaria sp. polysaccharides have been shown to be an effective prophylactic agent during in vitro and in vivo experiments against Japanese encephalitis viral infection. The sulfated oligosaccharides from Gracilaria sp. seem to be promising candidates for further development as antiviral agents.[9]

In the Philippines, Gracilaria have been harvested and used as food for centuries, eaten both fresh or sun-dried and turned into jellies. The earliest historical attestation is from the Vocabulario de la lengua tagala (1754) by the Jesuit priests Juan de Noceda and Pedro de Sanlucar, where golaman or gulaman was defined as "una yerva, de que se haze conserva a modo de Halea, naze en la mar" ("an herb, from which a jam-like preserve is made, grows in the sea"), with an additional entry for guinolaman to refer to food made with the jelly.[10] [11]

In Japan, Gracilaria has been used to produce funori (Japanese: 府海苔), an agar-based glue, since the 17th century.[12]

In Sri Lanka, Gracilaria has been used to make a seaweed soup that also incorporates coconut cream and lime.[6] It is also used to create seaweed jelly, a local sweetmeat in the Puttalam District of northwestern Sri Lanka.[6]

Aquarium trade

Gracilaria commonly appears as a macroalgae for sale in the aquarium trade. It is highly palatable to tangs[13] and many other herbivorous fish, and its nutrient uptake ability makes it a suitable choice for a refugium.

Ecology

Gracilaria are susceptible to infection by the parasitic oomycete Pythium porphyrae.[14] Reproduction by Gracilaria gracilis is supported by Idotea balthica – the first known case of an animal helping algae reproduce.[15] [16]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gracilaria spp. . Seaweed Insights . Hatch Innovation Services . 24 April 2024 . seaweedinsights1.
  2. M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 17 September 2021. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=14 ; searched on 03 August 2022
  3. McLachlan . J. . Bird . C.J. . Geographical and experimental assessment of the distribution of Gracilaria species (Rhodophyta: Gigartinales) in relation to temperature . Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen . 1984 . 38 . 3–4 . 319–334 . 10.1007/BF02027684 . 1984HM.....38..319M . 20852797 .
  4. Book: de Oliveira . E.C. . Plastino . E.M. . Akatsuka . Isamu . Biology of Economic Algae . 1994 . SPB Academic Publishing . Gracilariaceae . 9789051030938.
  5. Kyaw, Aye, The Production of Gracilaria eduli in Burma, Report of the Training Course on Gracilaria Algae, Manila, Philippines, 1–30 April 1981, accessed 27 April 2013
  6. Book: Subasinghe . S . Jayasuriya . A . Gracilaria Production and Utilization in the Bay of Bengal: Report of a Seminar Held in Songkhla, Thailand, 23-27 October 1989 . 1990. Bay of Bengal Programme for Fisheries Development, 1990 . 72.
  7. Book: Davidson, Alan . Alan Davidson (food writer) . Seafood of South-East Asia: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes . 2004. . 978-1-58008-452-9 . 197.
  8. Book: Thomas J. Goreau. Robert Kent Trench. Innovative Methods of Marine Ecosystem Restoration. 30 June 2013. 2013. CRC Press. 978-1-4665-5773-4. 193–.
  9. Kazłowski B, Chiu YH, Kazłowska K, Pan CL, Wu CJ . Prevention of Japanese encephalitis virus infections by low-degree-polymerisation sulfated saccharides from Gracilaria sp. and Monostroma nitidum . Food Chem . 133 . 3 . 866–74 . August 2012 . 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.01.106 .
  10. Albert H. Wells . Possibilities of Gulaman Dagat as a Substitute for Gelatin in Food . The Philippine Journal of Science . 1916 . 11 . 267–271.
  11. Book: de Noceda . Juan . de Sanlucar . Pedro . Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala . 1754 . Imprenta de la compañia de Jesus . 101, 215.
  12. Swider . Joseph R. . Smith . Martha . Funori: Overview of a 300-Year-Old Consolidant . Journal of the American Institute for Conservation . 2005 . 44 . 2 . 117–126 . 10.1179/019713605806082329 . 191358224 . 9 April 2022.
  13. Web site: This brings me back to Achilles’s diet. The guy apparently really likes Gracilaria macro algae. No wonder, especially considering that the grass is indigenous to Hawaii as well, and is considered the favorite food for tangs. . Growing Gracilaria Parvispora . Salt Water Reefing . Alex . Volynkin . 2016-12-18. 2013-09-28 .
  14. Spencer. M. A.. Pythium porphyrae. (Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria). IMI Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria. 2004. 162. Sheet 1617. 10 October 2017. en. A description is provided for Pythium porphyrae. Information is included on the disease caused by the organism, its transmission, geographical distribution, and hosts. DISEASES: Red-rot disease, red-wasting disease. HOSTS: Bangia atropurpurea, Callophyllis adhaerens, Polyopes affinis (syn.
  15. News: Roth . Annie . Like Bees of the Seas, These Crustaceans Pollinate Seaweed . 21 August 2022 . The New York Times . 28 July 2022.
  16. Lavaut . E. . Guillemin . M.-L. . Colin . S. . Faure . A. . Coudret . J. . Destombe . C. . Valero . M. . Pollinators of the sea: A discovery of animal-mediated fertilization in seaweed . Science . 29 July 2022 . 377 . 6605 . 528–530 . 10.1126/science.abo6661 . 35901149 . 2022Sci...377..528L . 251159505 . en . 0036-8075.

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