Economic Importance of Algae

The term ‘algae’ refers to numerous different organisms which are capable of processing photosynthesis to produce oxygen. The algae belong to the Protista kingdom and are found in a variety of forms and sizes. They are seen to exist as single, microscopic cells; also they can exist as macroscopic and multicellular; they usually live in colonies, or to camouflage themselves they take on a leafy appearance as in the case of seaweeds such as giant kelp. 

In various ways, there is a huge economic importance of algae. The first example is that we can use the natural substance from algae as a good source of food, fodder, in fish farming, and also used as a fertiliser. Algae also plays a key role in the process of alkaline reclaiming which can be used as an agent known for soil binding, and it is also used in a variety of commercial products. The alages are also determined and differentiated by their pigment. Most of the alages are often found in aquatic bodies such as in marine or freshwater but only a few and limited kinds of algae are found in extreme conditions like snow, ice, or hot spring. 

In the following, we will write a note on the economic importance of algae and gymnosperms.

Use For Algae for Food

Algae is considered an important source of nourishment in numerous cultures all around the world. People living in European countries such as Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden, all these countries as well as some populations living in North and South America, and Asian nations such as China and Japan use algae as a main ingredient for making some local dishes. 

Algae is considered a substance of such high nutritional value that these meals also include algae as part of a salad, accompanied by meat in a fried dish, also used as a topping on oatmeal, or even in liquid form as an extract in a nutritious smoothie. 

However, if we read about the nutritional fact about Algae we would know that Algae contains several healthy elements in itself including carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and vitamins A, B, C, and E. Algae is considered to be consumed worldwide in different food forms but it is also known to be a very low-cost source of protein, it also contains a bunch of important minerals such as iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and zinc. Foods containing algae in them include a ton of dairy products such as milk, ice cream, cheese, whipped topping, as well as syrup, icing, fruit juice, and even salad dressings. 

To stabilise, thicken, and emulsify particular food products we use brown algae, while red algae are used in the preparation of various semi-solid products for example medicines, cosmetics, and in the production of a wide array of foods.

Fodder

Algae, especially known as seaweed, is used as fodder for a variety of cattle animals. For example, Rhodymenia palmata, or the so-called “Sheep’s weed,” is made from Algae to feed livestock such as cattle and chickens. The use of Algae as fodder is famous in various countries, such as the northern European nations of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, as well as in Scotland, China, New Zealand, and throughout North and South America.

Pisciculture

Pisciculture is the industry involved in the breeding and farming of fish which is also known as fish farming. Fish farming or Pisciculture also utilises algae as part of its entire production process. According to scientists, a variety of species of fish like to consume a variety of types of algae, the most common type of algae which is the most common source of food for fish being blue-green and green algae, as well as microalgae.

 Floating plankton and zooplankton are mainly the organisms the fish feed on, which provide a source of healthy vitamins. Algae is also used in pisciculture as a different type of way in which it can naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the environment, while at the same time it provides oxygen to the water, thus making the marine environment more habitable for fish.

Fertiliser

The large red algae and brown algae are the two most common varieties of algae used in the manufacture of fertiliser. In particular, these two types of algae(red and brown) are utilised only in areas located near the ocean. Liquid fertiliser is mainly produced using concentrated seaweed extract. 

The organism’s extreme ability to repair levels of nitrogen already present in the soil is the main reason why this type of fertiliser is so popular. For example, rice producers in India typically pick and apply blue-green algae to fertilise their agricultural fields. 

Reclaiming Alkaline

In various countries, such as India, fields that once produced large agricultural yields become partially useless because they can no longer be used due to high concentrations of alkalinity present in the soil. To regain the fertility of the land, algae is eventually grown in these lands, which are often referred to as “Usar” lands, the pH level must be lowered than before and the ability of the soil to hold onto water must be increased. This process is mainly done using blue-green algae.

Conclusion

There are mainly four types of algae present and known to us : (Blue-Green Algae known as cyanobacteria, which appear in blue-green due to the presence of chlorophyll ‘a’, ‘b’, and phycobilins), (Green Algae), (Red Algae, which contains chlorophyll ‘a’, ’d’, carotenoids, xanthophylls, and phycobilins in them), (Brown Algae, containing chlorophyll ‘a’, ‘c’ and fucoxanthin pigment). Algaes are characterised as aquatic (planktonic, benthic, marine, freshwater, lentic, lotic), terrestrial, aerial (subaerial), lithophytic, halophytic (or euryhaline), psammon, thermophilic, cryophilic, epibiont (epiphytic, epizoic), endosymbiont (endophytic, endozoic), parasitic, calcific or lichen (phycobiont).