Seaweed cultivation and utilization of Korea

Abstract

Tribute to This paper is dedicated to the memory of Professor Chul Hyun Sohn (1943~2019) Mariculture is regarded as the only option to supply the increasing demands for seaweeds as human food, feeds, fodder, and phycolloids in a sustainable manner. Technologies for culturing a range of seaweed species have been developed successively in Korea since the 1970s. In 2017, Korean marine farms produced 1,761,526 t of seaweed. The key focus of the industry is on the production of Pyropia (523,648 t), Undaria (622,613 t), and Saccharina (542,285 t). Pyropia is economically the most important species in Korea, accounting for up to 68% of total production value. As the top exporter of Pyropia in the world, Korea exported up to US $525 million of Pyropia products to 110 countries in 2018. Other economically important genera include Sargassum, Ulva, Capsosiphon, Codium, and Gracilariopsis, all of which are used for food, and Gelidium, Pachymeniopsis, and Ecklonia which are used as raw material for phycocolloid extraction. Significant work has gone into developing more productive strains of key seaweed species, and in 2012 the Korean government began to certify seaweed varieties. To date, 19 seaweed cultivars have been registered including 13 Pyropia, 5 Undaria, and 1 Saccharina. The industry is now seeking not only to increase productivity but also to add value through processing. Convenience foods and snacks have been developed that target health-conscious consumers and utilize the nutritional properties of seaweeds. The industry is also seeking to promote the sustainability of seaweed farming. One seaweed company in Korea obtained the world's first ASC-MSC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council-Marine Stewardship Council) certification in 2019 and more are expected to follow their lead. With continued research support, the Korean seaweed industry plans to continue to expand to meet new market demands at a sustainable pace.

Invasive Seaweeds in the Iberian Peninsula: A Contribution for Food Supply

“…The health benefits that this food resource presents, lead to increased customer demand, which allowed a sales volume increase and the global economic expansion of Pyropia / Porphyra commercialization [ 44 ].…”

Brown Seaweed Sargassum siliquosum as an Intervention for Diet-Induced Obesity in Male Wistar Rats

“…However, value-adding pathways have been proposed for these golden tide seaweeds [ 13 ]. Sargassum ( fusiforme ) is already a traditional and highly prized food in Asia, with commercial aquaculture production of 54,624 tonnes of S. fusiforme in 2017 at a value of USD 28.7 million [ 14 ]. Further, Sargassum species produce many compounds with a wide range of biological actions, including protection against heat, pollution, stress, decreased oxygen concentration and ultraviolet radiation [ 15 ].…”

On the Health Benefits vs. Risks of Seaweeds and Their Constituents: The Curious Case of the Polymer Paradigm

“…However, for the commodity food sector, there is a need to guarantee similar nutritional values in all supplies, independent of the season. In this context, seaweed cultivation can present a solution for controlling seaweed food safety; this is something in which Asian countries are already well practiced [ 144 , 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 ], and which Western countries need to learn and adapt to.…”