Eucheuma denticulatum is a species of red algae and one of the primary sources of iota carrageenan. It exists naturally in the Philippines, tropical Asia, and the western Pacific,[1] but for the commercial extraction of carrageenan it is usually cultivated. The species is commonly known as E. spinosum when cultivated and can be found in different colours: brown, green and red.
| Eucheuma denticulatum | |
|---|---|
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| Eucheuma denticulatum in an off-bottom cultivation, Bweleo, Zanzibar | |
Scientific classification 
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| Clade: | Archaeplastida |
| Division: | Rhodophyta |
| Class: | Florideophyceae |
| Order: | Gigartinales |
| Family: | Solieriaceae |
| Genus: | Eucheuma |
| Species: | E. denticulatum
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| Binomial name | |
| Eucheuma denticulatum | |
Cultivation of Eucheuma started in the Philippines in the early 1970s[2] and has since been introduced to many other locations with varying results. There are different methods of cultivating E. denticulatum. One of the more common ones is the off-bottom "tie-tie"-method, with the setup being two stakes driven into the sediment with a rope between them. Pieces of the seaweed are then tied to the rope at regular intervals and allowed to grow for 6 weeks, after which it is harvested and dried.
The species was originally described in 1768 as Fucus denticulatus by Nicolaas Laurens Burman and in 1917 transferred to the genus Eucheuma by F.S. Collins and A.B. Hervey.[3][4]
References
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- ^ Trono, Gavino C.; Lluisma, Arturo O. (1992). "Differences in biomass production and carrageenan yields among four strains of farmed carrageenophytes in Northern Bohol, Philippines". Hydrobiologia. 247: 223. doi:10.1007/BF00008222.
- ^ Parker, Henry S. (1974). "The culture of the red algal genus Eucheuma in the Philippines". Aquaculture. 3 (4): 425. doi:10.1016/0044-8486(74)90009-X.
- ^ Collins, F.S.; A.B. Hervey (1917). "The algae of Bermuda". Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 53: 1–195. doi:10.2307/20025740. JSTOR 20025740.
- ^ "Eucheuma denticulatum (N.L.Burman) F.S.Collins & A.B.Hervey". Algaebase. Retrieved 2012-03-06.
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