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Abstract:

The effect of a seaweed extract application on fruit maturation was examined with two early ripening mandarins (Clausellina and Marisol) and the early ripening Navelina orange. An aqueous extract obtained from Ascophyllum nodosum and marketed under used throughout.

In the three cultivars that we studied, the application of the seaweed extract enhanced fruit earliness as measured by the maturity index (MI), calculated as the ratio of total soluble solids (TSS) to titratable acidity. Three full-cover sprays applied at the beginning of flower development, at full bloom, and at the end of the fruitlet drop period (June drop), applied at a concentration of 0.15%, gave the maximum response. Increasing the seaweed concentration or the number of applications did not improve the results. The maximum difference in MI between the treated and the control fruits was 0.5 points at the time of commercial ripening. This difference decreased afterwards as the fruit overripened. The increase was mostly due to the reduction in acidity, but an increase in TSS was recorded in some experiments. No effect was found on the juice content of the fruits.

Biologists, specifically Phycologists, consider seaweed to refer any of a large number of marine benthic algae that are multicellular, macrothallic, and thus differentiated from most algae that tend to be microscopic in size . Seaweeds are usually types of brown or red algae that are often found among other of algae, including green algae. There are a few species of cyanobacteria however, that may also be categorized as seaweeds. Named after terrestrial "weeds", Seaweeds are not to be confused with things like seagrasses, which are vascular plants and not algae.

Seaweeds are a fascinating and diverse group of organisms living in the earth's oceans. You can find them attached to rocks in the intertidal zone, washed up on the beach, in giant underwater forests, and floating on the ocean's surface. They can be very tiny, or quite large, growing up to 30 metres long!

Although they have many plant-like features seaweeds are not true vascular plants; they are algae. Algae are part of the Kingdom Protista, which means that they are neither plants nor animals. Seaweeds are not grouped with the true plants because they lack a specialized vascular system (an internal conducting system for fluids and nutrients), roots, stems, leaves, and enclosed reproductive structures like flowers and cones. Because all the parts of a seaweed are in contact with the water, they are able to take up fluids, nutrients, and gases directly from the water, and do not need an internal conducting system. Like true plants, seaweeds are photosynthetic; they convert energy from sunlight into the materials needed for growth. Within their cells seaweeds have the green pigment chlorophyll, which absorbs the sunlight they need for photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is also responsible for the green colouration of many seaweeds. In addition to chlorophyll some seaweeds contain other light absorbing pigments. These pigments can be red, blue, brown, or golden, and are responsible for the beautiful colouration of red and brown algae.

Algae (singular alga) encompass several different groups of living organisms that capture light energy through photosynthesis, converting inorganic substances into simple sugars using the captured energy. Algae have been traditionally regarded as simple plants, and some are closely related to the higher plants. Others appear to represent different protist groups, alongside other organisms that are traditionally considered more animal-like (that is, protozoa). Thus algae do not represent a single evolutionary direction or line, but a level of organization that may have developed several times in the early history of life on earth.

Algae range from single-celled organisms to multi-cellular organisms, some with fairly complex differentiated form and (if marine) called seaweeds. All lack leaves, roots, flowers, and other organ structures that characterize higher plants. They are distinguished from other protozoa in that they are photoautotrophic, although this is not a hard and fast distinction as some groups contain members that are mixotrophic, deriving energy both from photosynthesis and uptake of organic carbon either by osmotrophy, myzotrophy, or phagotrophy. Some unicellular species rely entirely on external energy sources and have reduced or lost their photosynthetic apparatus.

All algae have photosynthetic machinery ultimately derived from the cyanobacteria, and so produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, unlike non-cyanobacterial photosynthetic bacteria.

Algae are usually found in damp places or bodies of water and thus are common in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. However, terrestrial algae are usually rather inconspicuous and far more common in moist, tropical regions than dry ones, because algae lack vascular tissues and other adaptions to live on land. Algae can endure dryness and other conditions in symbiosis with a fungus as lichen.

The various sorts of algae play significant roles in aquatic ecology. Microscopic forms that live suspended in the water column—called phytoplankton—provide the food base for most marine food chains. In very high densities (so-called algal blooms) these algae may discolor the water and outcompete or poison other life forms. Seaweeds grow mostly in shallow marine waters. Some are used as human food or harvested for useful substances such as agar or fertilizer. The study of algae is called phycology or algology.

Algae (singular alga) encompass several different groups of living organisms that capture light energy through photosynthesis, converting inorganic substances into simple sugars using the captured energy. Algae have been traditionally regarded as simple plants, and some are closely related to the higher plants. Others appear to represent different protist groups, alongside other organisms that are traditionally considered more animal-like (that is, protozoa). Thus algae do not represent a single evolutionary direction or line, but a level of organization that may have developed several times in the early history of life on earth.

Algae range from single-celled organisms to multi-cellular organisms, some with fairly complex differentiated form and (if marine) called seaweeds. All lack leaves, roots, flowers, and other organ structures that characterize higher plants. They are distinguished from other protozoa in that they are photoautotrophic, although this is not a hard and fast distinction as some groups contain members that are mixotrophic, deriving energy both from photosynthesis and uptake of organic carbon either by osmotrophy, myzotrophy, or phagotrophy. Some unicellular species rely entirely on external energy sources and have reduced or lost their photosynthetic apparatus.

All algae have photosynthetic machinery ultimately derived from the cyanobacteria, and so produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, unlike non-cyanobacterial photosynthetic bacteria.

Algae are usually found in damp places or bodies of water and thus are common in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. However, terrestrial algae are usually rather inconspicuous and far more common in moist, tropical regions than dry ones, because algae lack vascular tissues and other adaptions to live on land. Algae can endure dryness and other conditions in symbiosis with a fungus as lichen.

The various sorts of algae play significant roles in aquatic ecology. Microscopic forms that live suspended in the water column—called phytoplankton—provide the food base for most marine food chains. In very high densities (so-called algal blooms) these algae may discolor the water and outcompete or poison other life forms. Seaweeds grow mostly in shallow marine waters. Some are used as human food or harvested for useful substances such as agar or fertilizer. The study of algae is called phycology or algology.

Seaweed Structure:

Did you know that rockweed is found at beaches attached to rocks? It is a dark brown color where it attaches to the rocks and a light golden brown color on the end. It looks like small lumps on the surface that give it a bumpy texture on the end. The swollen end makes a popping noise when it is crushed.

Holdfast is a root like structure that holds it to the rocky bottom. Holdfast is necessary for water and nutrients uptake, but it is needed as an anchor. Holdfast is made up of many fingerlike projections called hater.

Stipe is the name of the stem. The function of the stipe is to support the rest of seaweed. The structure of the stipe is to support the rest of the plant. The structures of the stipe varies among seaweeds, they can be flexible, stiff, solid, gas-filled, very long (20 meters), short or completely absent.

The blade refers to the leaves of the seaweed. The main function of the blade is to provide a large surface for the absorption of sunlight. In some species the blade also support the reproductive structures of the seaweed. Some seaweed has only one blade, which may be divided while other species have a numerous amount of blades.

Float is known as hollow, gas filled structures. These help to keep the photosynthetic structures of the seaweed buoyant so they are able to absorb energy from the sun.

Thallus is a way of saying the entire body of the plant, from top to bottom of the seaweed.

Nutritional value of algae:

l Algae is commercially cultivated as a nutritional supplement. One of the most popular microalgal species is Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), which is a Cyanobacteria (known as blue-green algae), and has been hailed by some as a superfood. [6]Other algal species cultivated for their nutritional value include; Chlorella (a green algae), and Dunaliella (Dunaliella salina), which is high in beta-carotene and is used in vitamin C supplements.

l Algae is sometimes also used as a food, as in the Chinese "vegetable" known as fat choy (which is actually a cyanobacterium).

l The oil from some algae have high levels of unsaturated fatty acids. Arachidonic acid(a polyunsaturated fatty acid), is very high in parietochloris incisa, (a green algae) where it reaches up to 47% of the triglyceride pool (Bigogno C et al. Phytochemistry 2002, 60, 497).

The natural pigments produced by algae can be used as an alternative to chemical dyes and coloring agents. [7] Many of the paper products used today are not recyclable because of the chemical inks that they use, paper recyclers have found that inks made from algae are much easier to break down. There is also much interest in the food industry into replacing the coloring agents that are currently used with coloring derived from algal pigments.

Microbiology:

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes (with a nucleus) such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes (without a nucleus) such as bacteria, protozoa and viruses (though viruses are not strictly classed as living organisms).

Although much is now known in the field of microbiology, advances are being made regularly. In actual fact, the most common estimates suggest that we have studied only about 1% of all of the microbes in any given environment. Thus, despite the fact that over three hundred years have passed since the discovery of microbes, the field of microbiology is clearly in its infancy relative to other biological disciplines such as zoology, botany or even entomology.

SEAWEED ECOLOGY:

Seaweeds play very important ecological roles in many marine communities. They are a food source for marine animals such as sea urchins and fishes, and are the nutritional base of some food webs. They also provide shelter and a home for numerous fishes, invertebrates, birds, and mammals.

Large seaweeds can form dense underwater forests, called kelp forests. These forests provide a physical structure that supports marine communities by providing animals with food and shelter. Kelp forests act as underwater nurseries for many marine animals, such as fish and snails. The lush blades form a dense forest canopy where invertebrates, fishes, birds, otters, and whales can find lots of tasty food and a good home. Beautiful sea slugs and kelp crabs can be seen on the blades and stipes of the seaweeds, while other small marine animals like worms find their homes in the the holdfasts. Kelp forests are a huge food source for sea urchins and other grazing invertebrates.

Seaweeds are affected by the physical characteristics of their environment. Because seaweeds absorb gases and nutrients from the surrounding water, they rely on the continual movement of water past them to avoid nutrient depletion. The constant motion of ocean water also subjects seaweeds to mechanical stress. Ocean waves and currents are sometimes strong enough to rip seaweeds right off the rocks! Seaweeds cope with mechanical stress by having a strong holdfast, a flexible stipe and blades, and bending towards the substrate as waves move over them.

Many seaweeds live in rocky intertidal communities. Because they cannot get up and follow the water when the tide goes out, intertidal seaweeds are subjected to the stresses associated with exposure to air and weather conditions. To survive in the intertidal, seaweeds must be able to tolerate or minimize the effects of evaporative water loss and temperature and salinity changes. When exposed to air seaweeds lose water through evaporation. Some seaweeds can dry out almost completely when the tide is out, then take up water and fully recover when the tide brings water back to them. Seaweeds living in tidepools are exposed to changes in water temperature and salinity caused by weather conditions. On hot, sunny days the water in tidepools warms up and evaporates, which increases the salinity of the water. When it rains the opposite happens, the salinity of tidepool water decreases. On cold days, seaweeds can be damaged by freezing.

When the tide is out mobile intertidal animals must also try to minimize water loss. One way they do this is by seeking out a moist hiding place under some seaweed. As well as providing shelter for invertebrates, intertidal seaweeds are also a food source for grazing animals.

What are seaweeds?

Seaweeds are marine algae: saltwater-dwelling, simple organisms that fall into the rather outdated general category of "plants". Most of them are the green (1200 species), brown (2000 species) or red (6000 species) kinds shown on this page, and most are attached by holdfasts, which just have an anchorage function. Most people know two major groups of seaweeds: wracks (members of the brown algal order Fucales such as Fucus) and kelps (members of the brown algal order Laminariales such as Laminaria), and some have heard of Carrageen Moss (a red alga, Chondrus crispus) and Dulse (also a red alga, Palmaria palmata). Seaweeds make up the Sargasso Sea, a large ocean gyre in the western Atlantic where drift plants of the genus Sargassum accumulate. Seaweeds are very important ecologically: they dominated the rocky intertidal in most oceans and in temperate and polar regions dominate rocky surfaces in the shallow subtidal. Some may be found to depths of 250 m in particularly clear waters.

Auxins in seaweed include indolyl-acetic acid, discovered in seaweed in 1933 for the first time. Two new auxins, as yet unidentified, but unlike any of the known indolyl-acetic acid types, were also discovered in 1958 in the Laminaria and Ascophyllum seaweeds used for processing into dried seaweed meal and liquid extract. These auxins have been found to encourage the growth of more cells -- in which they differ from more familiar types of auxin which simply enlarge the cells without increasing their number. One of the auxins also stimulates growth in both stems and roots of plants, and in this differs from indolyl-acetic acid and its derivatives, which cause cells to elongate but not to divide. The balanced action of this seaweed auxin has not been found in any other auxin.

It has been proved at the Marine Laboratory at Aberdeen that indolyl-acetic acid and the other newly discovered seaweed auxins are extracted in increased quantities by the process of alkaline hydrolysis. We believe that much of the value of our hydrolized seaweed extract is due to this auxin content; but since the amount of auxin in the extract is scarcely enough to promote the increased growth which follows its use as a foliar spray, we think plants so treated are themselves stimulated to produce more vitamins and growth hormones than would otherwise be the case.

At least two gibberellins (hormones which simply encourage growth, and have not, like auxins, growth-controlling properties too) have been identified in seaweed. They behave like those gibberellins which research workers have numbered A3 and A7 -- although they may in fact be vitamins A1 and .

We now come to trace elements, some of the most important and most complex of all seaweed constituents. Two things must be said at once. The first is, that the more one studies the effect of trace elements on plants and animals, the more difficult and involved the subject becomes. Even those who devote their whole working life to the subject are far from having a complete grasp of it. The second point to make here is that while one can hope, at first, to treat trace elements separately for plants and animals, there comes a time when the two become hopelessly mixed. I shall try, in this chapter, to deal with the effect of trace elements on plants only; but some mention of their effect on animals will be inevitable, if only because animals eat plants and the trace elements they contain.

We have seen that seaweed contains all known trace elements. This is important. But it is also important that these elements are present in a form acceptable to plants. We have seen that trace elements can be made available to plants by chelating -- that is, by combining the mineral atom with organic molecules. This overcomes the difficulty that many trace elements, and iron in particular, cannot be absorbed by plants and animals in their commonest forms. This is because they are thrown out of solution by the calcium carbonate in limy soils, so that fruit trees growing in these soils can suffer from a form of iron deficiency known as chlorosis. It is for this reason that plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas, which are particularly sensitive to iron deficiency, can grow only in acid soils. In these soils, iron does not combine with other elements to form insoluble salts which the plant cannot absorb, and it is therefore more freely available.

It is true that an iron salt such as iron sulphate can be dissolved in water and the solution poured on the soil, injected into an animal, or put into its feed. But iron has such a tendency to become bound up with other elements that it is not available to plants or animals when introduced in this way. If, on the other hand, iron in the form of iron oxide is dissolved in an organic compound, there will be no fusion with other chemicals in the soil, and it will be available to the plants which need it. This is the technique of chelating which makes possible the absorption of iron by living matter.

Such chelating properties are possessed by the starches, sugars and carbohydrates in seaweed and seaweed products. As a result, these constituents are in natural combination with the iron, cobalt, copper, manganese, zinc and other trace elements found naturally in seaweed. That is why these trace elements in seaweed and seaweed products do not settle out, even in alkaline soils, but remain available to plants which need them.

Hydrolized seaweed extract also 'carries' trace elements in this way, in spite of the fact that the liquid is alkaline, having a pH of nine -- in the ordinary way so alkaline a solution would automatically precipitate trace elements. This precipitation does not take place in seaweed extract because the trace elements already form part of stronger, organic, associations.

With liquid extract, this ability to chelate can be taken a stage further than happens naturally with seaweed and seaweed meal. Chelation can also be used, artificially, to cause extract to carry more trace elements than are found in fresh seaweed, in seaweed meal, or in ordinary hydrolized extract.

We have ourselves exploited these chelating properties of liquid seaweed extract by manufacturing three special types, one containing added iron, one added magnesium, and one containing the three trace elements of iron, magnesium and manganese. We have also made experimental batches with copper and boron. Most metals could be chelated in this way.

It will be remembered that liquid seaweed extract differs from seaweed meal in that it can be used directly on the plant in the form of a spray. We know that the minerals in seaweed spray are absorbed through the skin of the leaf into the sap of the plant -- and not only minerals, but the other plant nutrients, auxins and so on, listed earlier. Experience further suggests that plants' needs for trace elements can be satisfied at lower concentrations if those elements are offered to the leaves in the form of a spray, rather than being offered through the soil to the roots.

It is also possible that seaweed sprays stimulate metabolic processes in the leaf and so help the plant to exploit leaf-locked nutrients -- for it is known that trace elements won from the soil, and delivered by the plant to the leaf tissue, can become immobilized there. And if, as has been suggested by E. I. Rabinowitch in a standard work on photosynthesis, a 'considerable proportion' of photosynthesis is carried out by bacteria at the leaf surface, spraying with seaweed extract at this point may feed and stimulate them, and thus increase the rate of photosynthesis.

We now come to the debatable matter of antibiotics in seaweed -- debatable, not because there is any doubt that seaweed contains therapeutic substances, but because the precise nature of those substances is unknown. We call them antibiotics for convenience.

It is known that plants treated with seaweed products develop a resistance to pests and diseases, not only to sap-seeking insects such as red spider mite and aphides, but also to scab, mildew and fungi. Such a possibility may seem novel, but it is in keeping with the results of research in related fields. The control of plant disease by compounds which reduce or nullify the effect of a pathogen after it has entered the plant is an accepted technique. It is in this way that streptomycin given as a foliar spray combats fireblight in apples and pears, and antimycin and malonic acid combat mosaic virus in tobacco. The subject of controlling plant disease by introducing substances into the plant itself is known as chemotherapy, and is dealt with in a useful round-up article in the Annual Review of Plant Physiology, 1959, by A. E. Dimond and James G. Horsfall of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, United States.

As far as chemotherapy through seaweed is concerned, the annual report for 1963 of the Institute of Seaweed Research stated that trials in which soil-borne diseases of plants were reduced by adding seaweed products to the soil were the first recorded instance of the control of disease by organic manure. 'Hitherto', the report ran, 'the majority of agricultural scientists believed that the value of organic manures was restricted to their nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium content, with perhaps some additional value as soil conditioner. This new discovery challenges this over-simplified view of the value of organic manures, and has initiated a new appraisal of this very complex problem.'

The reason why seaweed and seaweed products should exert some form of biological control over a number of common plant diseases is unknown. Soil fungi and bacteria are known to produce natural antibiotics which hold down the population of plant pathogens, and when these antibiotics are produced in sufficient quantities they enter the plant and help it to resist disease. The production of such antibiotics is increased in soil high in organic matter, and it may be that seaweed still further encourages this process.

Leathery algae are large with a complex structure,     Foliose algae are basically sheets of tissue, this

comprising of many adaptations to its environment    forms the frond attached to substrate by a small

such as bladders and the large claw holdfasts of        discoid holdfast.

Laminaria sp.

Summary:

The primary source of energy for nearly all life is the Sun. The energy in sunlight is introduced into the biosphere by a process known as photosynthesis, which occurs in plants, algae and some types of bacteria. Photosynthesis can be defined as the physico-chemical process by which photosynthetic organisms use light energy to drive the synthesis of organic compounds. The photosynthetic process depends on a set of complex protein molecules that are located in and around a highly organized membrane. Through a series of energy transducing reactions, the photosynthetic machinery transforms light energy into a stable form that can last for hundreds of millions of years. This introductory chapter focuses on the structure of the photosynthetic machinery and the reactions essential for transforming light energy into chemical energy.

SEAWEED CLASSIFICATION:

Seaweeds are classified into three major groups; the green algae (Chlorophyta), the brown algae (Phaeophyta), and the red algae (Rhodophyta). Seaweeds are placed into one of these groups based on their pigments and colouration. Other features used to classify algae are; cell wall composition, reproductive characteristics, and the chemical nature of their photosynthetic products (oil and starch). Within each of the three major groups of algae, further classification is based on characteristics such as plant structure, form, and shape.

Seaweed extracts have been proven to accelerate the health and growth of plants. The actions of it are many. We will attempt to explain some of them here for you.

Seaweed stimulates beneficial soil microbial activity, particularly in the pockets of soil around the feeder roots resulting in a substantially larger root mass. where the beneficial fungi and bacteria known as "mycorrhizae" make their home. This area of the soil is known as the "rhizosphere." The rhizosphere activity improves the plants ability to form healthier, stronger roots. Having many actions it also enhances the plants own natural ability to ward off disease and pests. A good example has been observed that aphids and other types of sap feeding insects generally avoid plants treated with seaweed. At the same time it works within the soil to make more nutrients available to the plant. The rhizosphere forms a nutrient food bank for the plant it can draw on in times of stress.

Another action seaweed has on the roots in the rhizosphere is due again to the increased mass and depth of the roots the plant is able to draw more moisture from the soil increasing the drought tolerance level. The root mass also allows the plant to more effectively absorb and use fertilizers that are applied to the plant and soil. The overall stronger root structure may help plants physically resist certain types of root diseases.

Seaweed enhances photosynthesis via increasing a plants chlorophyll levels. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color. By upping the level of chlorophyll the plant is able to efficiently harness the suns energy. Along with this seaweed contains a complex range of biological stimulants, nutrients, and carbohydrates. To date more than 60 different types of nutrients in seaweed have been confirmed. However seaweed in itself is not a plant food, rather it is classified as a "bio-stimulant."

Seaweed extracts contain natural plant growth regulators (PGR) which control the growth and structural development of plants. The major plant growth regulator are auxins, cytokinins, indoles and hormones. These PGRs seaweed are in very small quantities generally measured in parts per million. It only takes a very small amount of these to do the job.

l Indole compounds help the development of plant roots and buds.

l Cytokinins are hormones that promote growth via rapidly speeding up the process of cell division making seaweed extract of value in treating tissue cultures. When they are applied to foliage the leaves rejuvenate stimulating photosynthesis. Thus they stay green longer. The cytokinins in seaweed extract are a major factor when applied to apple and peach trees in promoting the growth of fruiting spurs and reduce premature dropping of fruit.

l Auxins, also hormones, occur in the roots and stems during cell division. They move to areas of cell elongation where they allow the walls of cells to stretch. Auxins actually give fruits and vegetables a naturally longer shelf life. This is known as delaying senescense: the deterioration of cells and tissues that results in rotting.

What use are they?

Industrial utilisation is at present largely confined to extraction for phycocolloids and, to a much lesser extent, certain fine biochemicals. Fermentation and pyrolysis are not being carried out on an industrial scale at present but are possible options for the future, particularly as conventional fossil fuels run out. Seaweeds are being used in cosmetics, as fertilisers. They have the potential to be used as a source of long- and short-chain chemicals with medicinal and industrial uses. Marine algae may also be used as energy-collectors and potentially useful substances may be extracted by fermentation and pyrolysis.

Seaweed extracts appear in the oddest of places: you have probably eaten some sort of seaweed extract in the last 24 hrs as many foods contain seaweed polysaccharides such as agars, carrageenans and alginates!

The latest innovation is the incorporation of seaweed into a fibre. Seacell is a fabric made out of Lyocell (a 100% wood pulp fiber) and seaweed. The theory is that your skin will absorb nutrients from the seaweed. Seacell seemingly incorporates 5% seaweed content. The fabric was devised in Germany, and has been certified by the European Eco-Label, which promotes green products. The manufacturer, Zimmer AG, says that the porous, open structure of the Seacell fibers breath well and absorb what your skin excretes. Seacell is mostly being used in bras and briefs.

Thalassotherapy, which is the use of seawater and seaweed as a therapy, has become popular in spas and salons throughout the world.

Marine algae are classified according to their colours which, absorb different fractions of sunlight. The three main colours of seaweed are red, brown and green. Pigmentation, light exposure, temperature of water and oxygenation according to whether the sea is calm or turbulent, have an effect on the nutrient content of individual seaweed and thus their  effectiveness.

The downside of marine algae is that they have the ability to bind heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium and mercury, thus it is important that seaweed is harvested from unpolluted seas.

Marine algae used externally in baths, wrapsand emulsions are useful in the treatment of eczema, psoriasis and sun damaged a skin. The polysaccharide alginates in brown seaweeds are anti- inflammatory, anti-oxidant and free radical scavengers.

Seaweed wraps, depending on their iodine content, stimulate metabolism, aid in detoxification and weight loss, and in addition leave the skin feeling smooth and hydrated.

SEAWEED EXTRACT:

Seaweeds are especially rich in cosmetically active compounds such as uronic acid, fucose polymers, sulfated polygalactosides - including mineral salts, iodinated compounds, proteins, carbohydrates, amoni acids, organic acids, and vitamins.

Seaweed extracts combine with the proteins of the outer layer of the skin and the hair, forming protective moisturizing complexes. Fucose polymers retain water and act as hydrating agents.

Seaweed extracts, therefore, hydrate and soften the skin. The same results were found in hair where they act as a protective and moisturizing agent. Efficient hydration increases the effect of the micro elements and essential metabolites facilitating penetration into the skin enhancing the skin's natural ability to repair itself. Irritation caused by shaving and depletion is decreased by application of Seaweed extracts.

That seaweed and seaweed extracts are good for the skin is beyond dispute according to cosmeticians and beauticians. Again, one can only assume that alginates, carrageenans and agars, found in large quantities in many seaweeds, have a beneficial effect in combination with warm seawater; however, it is probable that there are other constituents of seaweeds that have restorative powers. An Irish company is producing a seaweed powder (made mainly from Ascophyllum nodosum) for the cosmetic and algotherapy market, and another is producing a number of dedicated bodycare products containing seaweed extracts.

Seaweed is packed with easy-to-absorb proteins, vitamins, minerals and lipids, it can protect against environmental pollution and ward off aging by nourishing and moisturizing the skin. "The seawater in seaweed is similar to human plasma, so it's an ideal way to get the nutritive benefits from the sea, vitamins A, C and E, and the minerals zinc, selenium and magnesium we need through the process of osmosis. Seaweed cleanses, tones and soothes the skin and regenerates body tissues, offering a new vitality and helping to maintain a youthful appearance. It also improves circulation, which has a positive effect on local fatty overloads and helps maintain the tone of the tissue." No wonder seaweed is used to firm the skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite!

Seaweed and algae body wraps are ideal ways to beautify the skin, rid your body of toxins and boost well-being and health. "It starts a program of detoxification very rapidly," says Dr. "It's amazing how it encourages weight loss and cellulite reduction." "Seaweed wraps are the most effective cellulite treatments," says Mok. "Seaweed and seaweed mud, especially, stimulate the cells to improve cellular activity and increase the efficiency of lymphatic fluid, which helps break down toxic deposits that can result in cellulite.