''Gelidium amansii'', also known as ''umutgasari'',
is an economically important species of
red algae
Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...
commonly found and harvested in the shallow coast (3 to 10 m or 10 to 33 ft of depth below the water) of many East Asian countries including North and South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, and northeast Taiwan.
''G. amansii'' is an important food source in East Asian countries and has been shown to have medicinal effects on dieting.
Hence, in folklore medicine ''G. amansii'' is used to treat constipation.
This algae is used to make
agar
Agar ( or ), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of some species of red algae, primarily from ogonori (''Gracilaria'') and "tengusa" (''Gelidiaceae''). As found in nature, agar is ...
, whose components are the polysaccharide agarose and
agaropectin
Agaropectin is one of the two main components of agar and mainly consists of D-glucuronic acid and pyruvic acid.
Structure
Agaropectin is a sulphated galactan mixture which composes agar by 30% composition. It is the component of agar that is no ...
, from the large amount of
algin
Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. With metals such as sodium and calcium, its salts are known as alginates. Its colour ...
which is located in the algae's cell wall, as well it is sometimes served as part of a salad, puddings, jams, and other culinary dishes in producing regions.
Agar is a gelatinous substance that is commercially used both as an ingredient in gelatinous desserts and as an incubation matrix for microbes and other products that require an ecologically friendly gelatinous matrix. ''G. amansii'' can be purple, red, to yellowish-red because it contains the class of pigments known as
phycobiliprotein
Phycobiliproteins are water-soluble proteins present in cyanobacteria and certain algae (rhodophytes, cryptomonads, glaucocystophytes). They capture light energy, which is then passed on to chlorophylls during photosynthesis. Phycobiliproteins are ...
. Its branching body is cartilaginous and can grow up to a height of 8 to 30 cm or 3 to 12 in. ''G. amansii'' may have four or five opposite, compound-lobed, pinnate leaves on each branch. It is uniaxial with an apical cell and whorled cells coming from the axial towards the exterior of the algae. The pith is compacted with apical cells and the epidermis is formed by rounded whorled cells. ''G. amansii'' is being studied as a cheap
biofuel
Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...
.
See also
*
Alginic acid
Alginic acid, also called algin, is a naturally occurring, edible polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is hydrophilic and forms a viscous gum when hydrated. With metals such as sodium and calcium, its salts are known as alginates. Its colou ...
*''
Chondrus crispus
''Chondrus crispus''—commonly called Irish moss or carrageen moss (Irish ''carraigín'', "little rock")—is a species of red algae which grows abundantly along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America. In its fresh ...
''
*
List of kampo herbs
''Kampō'' (or ''Kanpō'', 漢方) medicine is the Japanese study and adaptation of traditional Chinese medicine. In 1967, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare approved four ''kampo'' medicines for reimbursement under the National ...
References
External links
*Algaebas
Species: ''Gelidium amansii''(2008)
{{Use dmy dates, date=March 2018
Algae of Korea
Gelidiaceae