Wakame seaweed as food, cultivation and presale. Caloric content and vitamin and mineral composition, effect on the body. Cooking uses, interesting facts.
Wakame is a brown seaweed popular food for East Asians. The botanical name is pinnate or pinnately incised undaria. Under natural conditions, the plant has an orange or reddish-brown tint, in the air - green, when dried it becomes brown. The length of pinnate leaves reaches 2 m. The taste is spicy, sour, sweetish, with a characteristic hint of iodine. The smell is marine, fresh, salty. The main habitat of wakame is cool waters off the coast of Japan, Korea, China, but can be found in the Mediterranean, near the USA, New Zealand and Great Britain. For food purposes, algae are grown artificially.
How is wakame seaweed grown?
Pictured growing wakame on a farm in Japan
The cold-loving plant is grown in coastal areas where the water temperature does not rise above 22 ° C. They are planted in winter, lowering special ropes into the water, on which there are already spores or wakame sprouts are fixed. Another method is also possible: blocks of porous concrete are lowered into places of natural growth, and when they become overgrown, they are transferred to places convenient for collection and maintenance.
When planting uterine thalli, it is necessary to ensure simultaneous germination. For this, parts of the ropes with embryos can be raised, dried, and lowered back.
Leaves are cut from blocks with special cutters, manually. When the seedlings are fixed on the ropes, they are pulled ashore and cut off. Then the biomass is dried by spreading it in one layer in the air (under the sun for about 6 hours, with cloudiness - 10-12 hours), and then in layers it is laid out in containers and filled with seawater after cleaning or filtration for 4-5 hours. Take out the intermediate product (thallus), wash at 70 ° C in a countercurrent unit.
Cool in a blanching-cooling system. Cooking is not carried out, it is limited to short-term heating to 90 ° C, which allows you to fully preserve the useful composition of wakame. Dry on trolley stands with a perforated bottom. Additional treatment with a directed air jet is possible. Then the algae are stored on racks, pressed and transferred for packaging.
If you plan to freeze or prepare wakame in a marinade, then dehydration and pressing are not needed. The dried workpiece is immediately sent to the fast freezing chambers or food shops. After dehydration, the products are packed in plastic or paper bags.
The price of wakame depends on the packaging - from 50 g to 1 kg, the manufacturer and the processing method. The average cost of a product is 250-350 rubles. for 100 g in Russia and 180-270 UAH. in Ukraine.
Note! The shelf life of a closed bag with wakame is 1-2 years, if it is opened, no more than 3 months.
On packs prepackaged directly in Japan, the date of manufacture is indicated in hieroglyphs. Therefore, you will have to focus on the type of dried wakame and taste. If the leaves in the pack do not crumble, the color is dark green with a slight shade of brown, and after soaking, the algae again turn green and acquire sweetness, they can be safely eaten for up to 2 years. If you have opened the package, then the product must be transferred to a vacuum container.
The composition and calorie content of wakame
In the photo, the wakame seaweed
The calorie content of wakame algae is 45 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 3 g;
- Fat - 0.6 g;
- Carbohydrates - 8.6 g;
- Dietary fiber - 0.5 g;
- Water - 80 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A - 18 mcg;
- Beta Carotene - 0.216 mg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.06 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.23 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 13.9 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.002 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folates - 19.6 mg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 1 mg;
- Vitamin K, phylloquinone - 5.3 mcg.
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 50 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 150 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 107 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 872 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 80 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Iron, Fe - 2.18 mg;
- Iodine, I - 750,000 mcg;
- Manganese, Mn - 1.4 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 284 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 0.7 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.38 mg.
Note! Composition is given relative to soaked undaria leaves. That is why there is a high amount of moisture here.
The benefits and harms of wakame are not limited to the effect of the vitamin and mineral composition on the human body. The composition of algae contains a high amount of essential amino acids with a predominance of lysine and arginine, as well as nonessential ones, among which most of all are alanine, serine; omega-3, omega-6, omega-9, oleic, linoleic, myristic and arachidonic acids.
Wakame seaweed contains fucosanthin, a natural fat burner, which, when ingested, immediately triggers the mechanism of processing the formed fat deposits, and pilificose sulfate, which prevents vascular inflammation.
Benefits of Wakame Seaweed
In the countries of East Asia, algae are valued not only for their nutritional properties, but also for their healing qualities. They are used to strengthen the immune system, increase the overall tone of the body and cleanse toxins.
Benefits of Wakame Seaweed:
- Prevents the development of diabetes. They lower sugar levels, normalize the work of the pancreas.
- Regulates the functioning of the thyroid gland, stimulates the production of protein.
- Accelerate the growth of bone and muscle tissue, stop osteoporosis and arthritis, improve the production of synovial fluid.
- They improve the work of the cardiovascular system, prevent the appearance of hypertension.
- They normalize cholesterol levels, stimulate the dissolution of plaques already deposited in the lumen of blood vessels, and reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
- Prevents the development of anemia.
- Accelerate the conduction of nerve impulses, improve memory, help to concentrate.
- They improve liver function, stimulate the elimination of toxins, food, accumulated after long-term drug treatment, chemotherapy or alcohol abuse, prolong the life cycle of hepatocytes.
- They prevent the development of depression, improve the condition during the transition to the climacteric phase, relieve the symptoms of PMS.
- They reduce the aggressive effects of ultraviolet radiation and help to recover from exposure to radioactive substances.
For women who, since childhood, are accustomed to culinary recipes with wakame, it is advisable to adhere to this diet during pregnancy. Algae dishes 3-4 times a week contribute to the normal functioning of the developing organism. The fat burning property allows this product to be included in all weight loss diets.
Chinese healers use undaria to treat breast cancer. Currently, scientists in Japan and Korea, studying the composition of the plant, have isolated fucoxanthin. This substance prevents malignancy and inhibits the growth of neoplasms.
Contraindications and harm to wakame
Side effects when using the product in an area where undaria is a constant ingredient in dishes are rare, and only in people with a direct allergy to algae. Everyone else, at the first acquaintance with him, should be limited to small portions and analyze the body's reactions.
Wakame algae can be harmed in persons with a history of:
- hyperfunction of the thyroid gland - due to the high content of iodine;
- hypotension - due to the property of lowering pressure;
- during pregnancy - can provoke uterine tone;
- with diseases of the intestines and digestive organs, occurring against a background of increased acidity.
You should not introduce wakame into the diet of children under 12 years of age - severe weakness, lethargy, memory and concentration may be impaired. At this age, the body does not need additional iodine, it is enough that it comes from products typical of the area of residence.
Wakame seaweed recipes
Undaria is eaten fresh, pickled and dried, added to Japanese cuisine - miso soup (misosiru), miyokkuku; salads - with national flavor and European. The taste is paired with rice or wine vinegar and soy sauce.
How to prepare wakame depends on the type of product. When fresh, the leaves are simply washed and cut like ordinary greens. Marinated blanks do not require pretreatment, but if they are too spicy, they can be washed. If you have purchased dried undaria, then rinse it out in a colander, and then fill it with warm water for 10 minutes. As soon as the leaves turn green and their surface becomes glossy, like varnished, they are dipped in boiling water, and then washed again with ice water. Then the large coarse stems are cut off and crushed.
Wakame seaweed recipes:
- Fish buns … The oven is heated to 180-190 ° C. 3 eggs and 200 g of flour, 1 tsp are driven into 100 g of salad yogurt. baking powder and 2 tbsp. l. olive oil. Pre-prepared seaweed, 100 g, and the same amount of canned tuna puree are mixed into the dough. Form koloboks, spread on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, bake for 15 minutes.
- Wakame soup … Fish broth, 800 ml, cooked in advance or diluted with powder. Alternatively, chicken, clear, hated, or vegetable, vegetarian is suitable. Seafood overpowers the "extra" tastes. In the finished boiling broth, spread the steamed chopped seaweed and boil until soft, add salt. Sliced green onions, fried white sesame seeds are laid out on plates, the broth is poured and seasoned with sesame oil.
- Wakame salad … Pickled seaweed is used for it. Open the package, drain the excess liquid and sprinkle with lemon juice. You can add some soy sauce. While the leaves are infused with new ingredients, mix arugula slices, 2 handfuls, slices of 1 ripe avocado, 100 g of crushed walnuts in a salad bowl. Wakame is laid out on top, folded in "nests". For taste, add some salt, pepper and season with vegetable oil.
- Rice with wakame … This dish is adapted for the European stomach. 1 cup of rice is washed, boiled in the usual way, but make sure that the grains do not crumble and absorb the liquid. The rice should be soft and tender. Wrap the pot in a towel and leave for 10 minutes to steam. In steamed seaweed, 3-4 tbsp. l., pour in 3 tbsp. l. wine vinegar and 1, 5 tbsp. l. soy sauce, add 1 tbsp. l. dark sugar, stir. Spread the dressing over the rice and sprinkle with grated white fried sesame seeds.
- Miso soup … Light miso paste, 100 g, diluted with boiling water to the desired consistency, seasoned with sprouted magician peas, 50 g, soaked seaweed, 1-2 tbsp. l. soy sauce. Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat. Immediately pour in pieces of tofu, 100 g, let it brew for 7-10 minutes. Pour into bowls and sprinkle each portion with green onions.
- Fresh Undaria salad … The cucumber is peeled so that it becomes striped, that is, the skin is not removed all, but at regular intervals. Then it is cut into strips, the seeds are removed, salted and left for 15 minutes. Squeeze fresh wakame together with cucumbers. For the sauce, mix separately 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce, 4 tbsp. l. rice vinegar, 1, 5 tbsp. l. powdered sugar and rub 2.5 cm of fresh ginger root there. Boiled shrimps are spread on plates, squeezed mass on top and seasoned with sauce.
See also kombu seaweed recipes.
Interesting facts about wakame seaweed
Usually, people, using wild plant species for food, upset the natural balance. But what they eat undaria is useful not only for the human body, but also for the marine environment. This algae is an aggressive weed, it fills coastal waters and completely displaces other types of flora from there. This has a negative impact on the coastal fauna.
Thalom (the trunk of marine thickets) grows up to 3 m, blocking the light for other plants. Leaves can be either feathery or whole, their surface is covered with frequent hairs. When the water begins to warm up, the thallus breaks down and the waters are temporarily cleared.
It is not known when Japanese and Korean farmers began artificially cultivating these algae for food purposes. They are mentioned in recipes dating from the 12th century. Since 1960, Japan began to import the product in dried form to Europe and the USA, and after 10 years, plants growing in the wild began to be collected and served in restaurants in France (mainly in Brittany, plantations were even planted there), and Sydney.
By the way, algae grown in natural conditions must be handled carefully. The plant accumulates toxins and heavy metals dissolved in seawater.
Wakame is not only used for food purposes. They are widely used in cosmetics. Undaria extracts are used to treat acne and age spots, to nourish the skin and hair.
To increase skin tone and get rid of increased pigmentation, steamed hot undaria leaves are spread on a cleansed face and left for 15 minutes. To increase the effectiveness, lemon juice is added to masks for oily skin, and olive oil for dry skin.
In Japan, wakame is considered a product that prolongs youth and increases longevity. So why not add new dishes to your diet and live 10-15 years longer?
Watch the video about wakame seaweed:
