Fucoxanthin Cultivation

Although fucoxanthin has been consumed by individuals in Asian countries for literally thousands of years, cultivating seaweed in a controlled environment is a relatively new phenomenon. Prior to aquaculture operations that allowed seaweed-containing fucoxanthin to be produced more easily and cheaply, harvesting seaweed from the wild was a labor-intensive and time-consuming process.

Today, immense amounts of seaweed and the fucoxanthin it contains can be produced comparatively quickly and easily. The process of cultivating, harvesting, and processing seaweed and fucoxanthin is highly efficient and controlled, although it is still quite labor intensive. This is particularly true in China, where the ropes containing mature kelp fronds are still usually harvested by hand.

The methods of cultivation used in Japan and China are somewhat similar. In China, the major type of fucoxanthin-rich sea vegetable that is produced is a type of brown kelp known as Laminaria japonica. During the first step of the fucoxanthin production process, fronds, the leafy structures of the plant, are placed in sea water with long, rope-like structures known as seeding cords. These fucoxanthin-rich fronds contain zoospores, which are mobile spores that are used by asexual organisms for reproduction. These mature spores are capable of detaching from the fronds, and also of moving through the water through the use of a tiny, whip-like structure known as a flagellum. These spores will readily attach themselves to the seeding ropes. After this initial stage of fucoxanthin production has been completed, the seeding cords containing the spores are left to mature in water for several months.

After the spores have grown to a length of about 10 to 15 centimetres, they are removed from the original ropes and placed onto another set of ropes, on which the plants are packed much more tightly, with several dozen young kelp plants, all containing a rich source of fucoxanthin, being placed on each rope.

At this time, the ropes are placed in sea water, where the kelp and its fucoxanthin will be allowed to mature. The ropes are generally anchored in the water through the use of buoys that float on the surface of the water and weights that sit on the bottom of the ocean floor. There are slight variations that can be used during this stage of fucoxanthin production to anchor the kelp, with advantages and disadvantages existing for each one. Water movement and the evenness of kelp growth can be affected, depending on the method that is used to anchor the kelp ropes. The amount of fucoxanthin contained in the plants, however, will remain the same.

After the fucoxanthin-rich kelp reaches maturity, the ropes are typically gathered into a small boat and transported to shore. The harvesting time chosen by producers is important if they wish to make the highest possible profit. In general, they will try to harvest mature fronds when the total dry weight is at its highest possible level.

In China, the kelp is usually dried in the sun, but this is certainly not the case for all countries that produce a significant amount of fucoxanthin. In Japan, for example, most of the seaweed they produced is quickly dried in ovens.

After the seaweed and the fucoxanthin it contains has been dried, it can be packaged and sold in a number of forms. For example, it can be sold in its simple dried form to local consumers. Some of the Laminaria japonica produced is also shredded and seasoned, offering consumers a wide range of flavour choices. The dried, shredded, and seasoned fucoxanthin food sources are then distributed to various parts of China, other Asian countries, and indeed, some worldwide markets. Some of the seaweed produced in various parts of the world may also be used to make fucoxanthin supplements. The kelp, algae, or seaweed undergoes a special extraction process, during which a concentrated dose of fucoxanthin can be obtained and distributed in capsule form.

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