Revealing properties of twenty Omani seaweeds for the future management and utilization

Seaweed is a large aquatic alga as it has another name such as sea plant and sea vegetable. Seaweed is usually classified according to color (pigment) into three main groups: brown algae, green algae and red algae. For a long time, the peoples of East Asian countries such as Japan, China, Korea and the Philippines used seaweed in their kitchens, while in other parts of the world the use of seaweed was limited to some industrial applications such as a source of gelling materials and thickeners, as is the case in agar, alginate, and carrageenan. Migration of Asians to Western countries, in addition to the industrial boom in recent years, led to widespread exploitation, which resulted in the growth of global demand for seaweed, which reached about 14 billion dollars in 2018 and is expected to reach 21 billion by 2023. Seaweed is rich in many micro and macronutrients and many bioactive medicinal compounds. Therefore, seaweed products are now included in almost all industries such as food, medicine, cosmetics and agriculture. As it is well known, the southern part of the Sultanate (Dhofar Governorate) is rich in seaweeds, but its economic potential is largely unknown, mainly because there is no use of seaweed in Omani culture and also to the limited data published in the literature about the seaweed that grows in this area. A comprehensive study conducted by the Omani government in 1998 on seaweeds identified the existence of several species that could have economic potential, but no subsequent studies were done by the government in this field, furthermore, research activity in the Sultanate is almost non-existent in this field. This study aims to study 20 types of seaweeds that exist in the Omani seas to determine their components and properties of their components during the different growth stages of the plant. Also, the oceanographic and climatic conditions will be collected to establish deep understanding of the factors that affect growth. Those seaweed varieties were chosen based on previous studies and in other cases on the characteristics of some members of the family to which the plant belongs, in case research work was scarce. In addition, a fish feed will be produced from the potential seaweeds. This project will provide important information on the potential of seaweed in the Sultanate in order to better evaluate and manage this valuable natural resource.