Functional Properties of Edible Seaweeds and its Use for Value Addition of Foods

Seaweeds, one of the important marine living resources could be termed as the futuristically promising plants. These plants have been a source of food, feed and medicine in the orient as well as in the west, since ancient times. Although, seaweeds in India are used for industrial production of agar and alginate and as a fertilizer, it is yet to be utilized on a large scale for various purposes, which is not being done, due to lack of its awareness among the Indian populace. In order to harness the rich potential of seaweeds in India, the present limited use needs to be diversified into other contemporary areas of application. Being a plant of unique structure and biochemical composition, seaweed could be exploited for its multi-functional properties in the form of food, energy, medicine and cosmetics. In addition to the comprehensive view on its uses, the article also calls for the need to implement biotechnological tools for sustainable management of seaweed resources. All in all, an attempt has been made to highlight the prospects of seaweed in India in the modern context.