wakame

Wakame
Conservation status
Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Protista
Division:	Heterokontophyta
Class:	Phaeophyceae
Order:	Laminariales
Family:	Alariaceae
Genus:	Undaria
Species:	U. pinnatifida
Binomial name
Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar, 1873

Wakame (ワカメ, wakame^?), Undaria pinnatifida, is a sea vegetable, or edible seaweed, that has been nominated as among 100 of the world's worst invasive species according to the Global Invasive Species Database. ^[1] In Japan it is most widely used in miso soup.

History in the West

In 1867 the word "wakame" first appeared in an English-language publication, A Japanese and English Dictionary, by James C. Hepburn.^{[citation needed]}

Starting in the 1960s, the word "wakame" started to be used widely in the United States, and the product (imported in dried form from Japan) became widely available at natural food stores and Asian-American grocery stores, due to the influence of the macrobiotic movement, and in the 1970s with the growing number of Japanese restaurants and sushi bars.

Health

New studies^{[citation needed]} conducted at Hokkaido University have found that a compound in wakame known as fucoxanthin can help burn fatty tissue. Studies in mice have shown that fucoxanthin induces expression of the fat-burning protein UCP1 that accumulates in fat tissue around the internal organs. Expression of UCP1 protein was significantly increased in mice fed fucoxanthin. Wakame is also used in topical beauty treatments. See also Fucoidan.

In Oriental medicine it has been used for blood purification, intestinal strength, skin, hair, reproductive organs and menstrual regularity ^[2].

Culture

Japanese Miso soup (with Tofu, Wakame and Scallion).

Miyeok guk, a Korean soup made with wakame

Japanese and Korean sea-farmers have grown wakame for centuries and they still are the main producers and eaters.^{[citation needed]} Since 1985 wakame is also cultivated in France, in sea fields established near the shores of Brittany.^{[citation needed]}

Wild grown wakame is harvested in Tasmania, Australia, and then sold in restaurants in Sydney. ^[3]

Invasiveness

In New Zealand, wakame is a very serious weed, and was nominated one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world. It was first discovered in Wellington Harbour in 1987. It probably arrived accidentally in the late 1980s, via shipping from Asia, in ballast water. Native to cold temperate coastal areas of Japan, Korea and China, in recent decades it has also established in France, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Argentina and Australia.^{[citation needed]}

Wakame is now found around much of south-eastern New Zealand, and as far north as Auckland. It spreads in two ways: naturally, through the millions of microscopic spores released by each fertile organism, and through attachment to vessel hulls and marine farming equipment. It is a highly successful and fertile species, which makes it a serious invader. However, its impacts are not well understood and are likely to vary, depending on the location.

The kelp has been found in several harbors in southern California. In May 2009 it was discovered in San Francisco Bay and aggressive efforts are underway to remove it before it spreads.^[4][5][6]

As food

A Japanese dish consisting of wakame with sardines

Wakame fronds are green and have a subtly sweet flavour and slippery texture. The leaves should be cut into small pieces as they will expand during cooking.

In Japan and Europe, wakame is distributed either dried or salted, and used in soups (particularly miso soup), and salads (tofu salad), or often simply as a side dish to tofu and a salad vegetable like cucumber. These dishes are typically dressed with Japanese ingredients including soya sauce and vinegar/rice vinegar.

• In China, it is called qundaicai (裙带菜)^[7]. Chinese production is concentrated around Dalian.
• In Korea, it is called miyeok (미역)^[7] and used in salads or soup.
• In French, it is called "fougère des mers".

Wakame is a rich source of Eicosapentaenoic acid, an Omega-3 fatty acid. At over 400 mg/100 kcal or almost 1 mg/kJ, it has one of the higher nutrient:calorie ratios, and among the very highest for a vegetarian source. However, 100 grams of wakame is more than 44 tablespoons of dried wakame. The usual consumpton of wakame is closer to 1 or 2 tablespoons.^[8] Wakame also has high levels of calcium, iodine, thiamine and niacin.

References

External links

• More About Wakame and How to Prepare
• Anti-obesity compound found in brown seaweed
• AlgaeBase link
• FAO of the United Nations - Undaria pinnatifida
• Jncc U.K - Undaria pinnatifida
• Global Invasive species database