Kelp

Laminaria digitata

Kelp is one of 31 species in the family of Laminareaceae, or “Brown Seaweeds” along with Kombu Laminaria groenlandica. Seaweeds or Sea Vegetables are large, visible macroalgae growing attached to each other, rocks, and the seafloor in the intertidal zone and shallow seawater. All seaweeds use sunlight to produce food; they’re photosynthetic. Laminaria digitata occurs in the northwest Atlantic Ocean from Greenland south to Cape Cod, MA and in the northwest Atlantic from northern Russia and Iceland south to France. Kelp ash is used in soap and glass production. Until a new process was commercialized in the early 19th century, burning of kelp in Scotland was one of the principal industrial sources of soda ash. Alginate or Sodium alginate, a kelp-derived carbohydrate, is used to thicken products such as toothpaste, jelly, and ice cream. Alginate powder is also used frequently in general dentistry and orthodontics for making impressions of the upper and lower arches. Kelp is also used frequently in fertilizer, especially in the Channel Islands, where it is known as vraic.