Red Algae - Human Consumption

Human Consumption

Several species are used as food. Dulse (Palmaria palmata) and Porphyra are the best known in the British Isles.

In East and Southeast Asia, agar is most commonly produced from Gelidium amansii. In Asia, rhodophytes are important sources of food, such as nori. The high vitamin and protein content of this food makes it attractive, as does the relative simplicity of cultivation, which began in Japan more than 300 years ago.

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