Seaweeds Will be Used More in Industry

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 84, 8 April 1941, Page 3

Seaweeds Will be Used More in Industry

Many classes of New Zealand seaweeds, which up to the present have not been used commercially, and have been eaten only by Maoris and a lew Europeans, are likely now to play an important part in industry. Because of the war, a number of products manulactured from seaweed can no longer be imported, and will probably be made in the Dominion. The firms concerned have no one on their staffs with the necessary knowledge to select the suitable weeds, and the scientific staff of the Auckland War Memorial Museum has given assistance in some cases. Botanical students have gathered tfie weeds. Some New Zealand seaweeds yield agar-agar, which is used in the canning cf meat and fish, for the sizing of fabrics, in finishing processes ot leather-making, as a base for jellies, icecreams, and candies, and for wound Used in Breweries An Auckland meat-canning concern is now collecting the requisite seaweeds lor use in its factory, aud a brewery is using them to obtain carrageen for clarifying beer. Some New Zealand w eeds closely resemble the Irish moss or carrageen of commerce, and inquiries for these have recently come from America, which cannot secure sufficient, from Ireland. Carrageen is also used for medicinal purposes. Agar-agar, from dried and powdered seaweeds, is rich in iodine and minerals which counteract goitre, and assist in the development of good teeth. The Japanese are issue! with rations ol agar-agar, and the incidence of goitre there is only 4 per cent, against 90 per cent in New Zealand. Japan is similar in configuration to New Zealand, iodine being lost out of the land through erosion. A New Condiment The iodine content is not lost when the weed is dried and powdered. The powder can be used as a condiment in the stock-pot, in stews, and in savouries, giving a pleasant, although slightly salty, flavour. Dr. B. H. Gilmour, of Lyttelton, has used it extensively in his dietetic work. Maoris regarded all seaweeds as edible, and the other generations had good teeth and no goitre. Among the younger generation, however, gea foods, are not held in such esteem, and poor teeth and goitre are becoming more frequent. One of the seaweeds found in Lyttelton harbour and suitable for table use is gigartina protea, and olivegreen growth rather like a sea lettuce. The Plunket Society also recommends more general use of sea foods, particularly for pre-school children and expectant mothers. Resources Surveyed Th« first survey of New Zealand’s economic resources in seaweeds was made a year or so ago by Miss L. B. Moore, M.Se., and the resulting bulletin has just been published by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Re search. The bulletin suggests uses to which certain New Zealand seaweeds could be applied, and though it was actually written about the time of the outbreak of war, it is significant tb.it in the interval industries are actually making use of some of these seaweeds. Of interest to farmers is the information given by the bulletin on the value of dried kelp for stock, and it supports conclusions with reported practices in the Dominion, mentioning that impressive results have been secured by feeding kelp to birds and animals at the Auckland Zoo.