Gracilaria sp.

What is Gracilaria?

Gracilaria is a type of red algae that is commonly found in coastal waters around the world. It is an important source of food for many marine animals and is also used as a natural thickening agent in the food industry. Gracilaria is also used in traditional medicine and cosmetics, and is grown commercially for these purposes. It is known for its high levels of nutrients, including iodine, potassium, and magnesium, as well as its ability to absorb and remove toxins from the water. Gracilaria is an important component of marine ecosystems and plays a vital role in the health and stability of these ecosystems.

What does Gracilaria mean?

The word "Gracilaria" is derived from the Latin word "gracilis," which means slender or thin. This name likely refers to the thin, delicate structure of the algae, which consists of long, slender branches that grow from a central stem.

Where is Gracilaria found?

Gracilaria is a type of red algae that is commonly found in coastal waters around the world. It is found in both temperate and tropical waters and can be found in a variety of habitats, including rocky shores, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. Gracilaria is especially common in the coastal waters of Asia, where it is an important component of marine ecosystems and is often grown commercially.

Gracilaria is also found in other parts of the world, including the coasts of South America, Africa, and Australia. It is known for its high levels of nutrients, including iodine, potassium, and magnesium, as well as its ability to absorb and remove toxins from the water.

How does Gracilaria grow?

Gracilaria grows by producing new cells at the tips of its branches, which elongate and grow into new branches. This process, called apical growth, allows the algae to spread and colonize new areas. Gracilaria reproduces sexually, meaning that it produces spores that can germinate and grow into new algae. It can also reproduce asexually, through processes such as fragmentation or the production of specialized cells called gametes.

Is Gracilaria prokaryotic or eukaryotic?

Gracilaria is a type of red algae that belongs to the kingdom Protista, which is a diverse group of organisms that are classified as neither animals, plants, nor fungi. Red algae, like Gracilaria, are eukaryotes, which means that they have a true nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles within their cells.

What is Gracilaria used for?

Gracilaria is an important source of food for many marine animals and is also used as a natural thickening agent in the food industry. It is used to make agar, which is a gel-like substance that is used as a thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent in a wide range of food products, including jelly, ice cream, and pastry fillings^[3].

Gracilaria has also been used in traditional medicine for centuries and is believed to have a number of health benefits.

Additionally Gracilaria is used in the cosmetics industry as an ingredient in skin care products, including creams, lotions, and serums. It is believed to have skin-nourishing and moisturizing properties and is used to improve the appearance and health of the skin^[12].

To further extend Gracilaria is grown commercially for use in aquaculture, which is the farming of aquatic plants and animals. It is used as a natural feed for farmed fish and shellfish and is believed to improve their growth and health^{[10, 11]}.

Another use case for Gracilaria is to absorb and remove toxins from the water, which makes it an important tool for environmental cleanup efforts. It is used to purify contaminated water and to help restore damaged marine ecosystems^[13].

What is obtained from Gracilaria?

Gracilaria is used to make agar, which is a gel-like substance that is used as a thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent in a wide range of food products, including jelly, ice cream, and pastry fillings.

Additionally it is being used to obtain Agarose, which is a type of polysaccharide that is extracted from Gracilaria and other types of red algae. It is used in the life sciences industry as a matrix for electrophoresis, which is a technique used to separate and analyze biomolecules such as DNA and proteins.

What cosmetical benefits does Gracilaria offer?

Gracilaria is known for its high levels of nutrients, including iodine, potassium, and magnesium, as well as its ability to absorb and remove toxins from the water. Gracilaria is used in the cosmetics industry as an ingredient in skin care products, including creams, lotions, and serums. It is believed to have a number of cosmetical benefits, including:

Gracilaria is believed to have moisturizing properties and is often used in skin care products to help improve the appearance and feel of the skin. Gracilaria is also a rich source of nutrients, including iodine, potassium, and magnesium, which are important for maintaining healthy skin^{[3, 4]}.

Gracilaria is believed to have anti-aging properties and is often used in skin care products to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles^[9]. Furthermore it is believed to have soothing properties and is often used in skin care products to help calm and soothe irritated or sensitive skin.

It is important to note that the effectiveness of Gracilaria as a skin care ingredient may vary depending on the specific product and the individual user. As with any skin care product, it is always a good idea to test a small patch of skin before using a product containing Gracilaria to ensure that it is suitable for your skin type and does not cause any adverse reactions.

Typical applications

Gracilaria is a genus of red algae which is cultivated in Asia, South America, Africa and Australia.

Gracilaria is mainly used to produce agar, a natural thickening agent. However, Gracilaria species are also used as a normal foodstuff in Japanese cuisine, for example.

In addition, the Gracilaria species, like many algae, are rich in antioxidants and thus protect the skin from external influences^{[5, 6, 7]}.

This product is available in the following forms: Gracilaria sp. powder, Gracilaria sp. flakes, dried raw Gracilaria sp. algae or fresh Gracilaria sp. algae. This product is also available as a non-organic variant.

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Typical applications in the cosmetics industry:

Gracilaria sp. powder contains a wide range of minerals, amino acids and vitamins. These are absorbed when mixed in cosmetic products and applied to the skin and can have a positive effect on the appearance of the skin. Thus, Gracilaria sp. powder has a nourishing and nurturing effect on the skin.

This nourishing and replenishing effect can smooth, tighten and renew the skin. This makes Gracilaria sp. well suited for anti-aging cosmetics^[9].

 

 

Sources:

1. Gracilaria - M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 09 July 2024. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland (https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=14)
2. Gracilaria - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracilaria)
3. Chen X, Fu X, Huang L, Xu J, Gao X. Agar oligosaccharides: A review of preparation, structures, bioactivities and application. Carbohydr Polym. 2021 Aug 1;265:118076. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118076. Epub 2021 Apr 14. PMID: 33966840. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33966840/)
4. Aziz E, Batool R, Khan MU, Rauf A, Akhtar W, Heydari M, Rehman S, Shahzad T, Malik A, Mosavat SH, Plygun S, Shariati MA. An overview on red algae bioactive compounds and their pharmaceutical applications. J Complement Integr Med. 2020 Jul 22:/j/jcim.ahead-of-print/jcim-2019-0203/jcim-2019-0203.xml. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2019-0203. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32697756. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32697756/)
5. Long X, Hu X, Pan C, Xiang H, Chen S, Qi B, Liu S, Yang X. Antioxidant Activity of Gracilaria lemaneiformis Polysaccharide Degradation Based on Nrf-2/Keap-1 Signaling Pathway in HepG2 Cells with Oxidative Stress Induced by H2O2. Mar Drugs. 2022 Aug 24;20(9):545. doi: 10.3390/md20090545. PMID: 36135734; PMCID: PMC9506308. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36135734/)
6. Khan BM, Zheng LX, Khan W, Shah AA, Liu Y, Cheong KL. Antioxidant Potential of Physicochemically Characterized Gracilaria blodgettii Sulfated Polysaccharides. Polymers (Basel). 2021 Jan 30;13(3):442. doi: 10.3390/polym13030442. PMID: 33573123; PMCID: PMC7866499. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33573123/)
7. Sudharsan S, Subhapradha N, Seedevi P, Shanmugam V, Madeswaran P, Shanmugam A, Srinivasan A. Antioxidant and anticoagulant activity of sulfated polysaccharide from Gracilaria debilis (Forsskal). Int J Biol Macromol. 2015 Nov;81:1031-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.09.046. Epub 2015 Sep 28. PMID: 26424206. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26424206/)
8. Malida Vernandes Sasadara M, Putu Wirawan IG, Made Jawi I, Sritamin M, Ayu Dewi NN, Ayu Mirah Adi AA. Anti-inflammatory Effect of Red Macroalgae Bulung Sangu (Gracilaria sp.) Extract in UVB-Irradiated Mice. Pak J Biol Sci. 2021 Jan;24(1):80-89. doi: 10.3923/pjbs.2021.80.89. PMID: 33683034. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33683034/)
9. Wang X, Zhang Z, Zhou H, Sun X, Chen X, Xu N. The anti-aging effects of Gracilaria lemaneiformis polysaccharide in Caenorhabditis elegans. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019 Nov 1;140:600-604. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.08.186. Epub 2019 Aug 22. PMID: 31446102. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31446102/)
10. Younis EM, Al-Quffail AS, Al-Asgah NA, Abdel-Warith AA, Al-Hafedh YS. Effect of dietary fish meal replacement by red algae, Gracilaria arcuata, on growth performance and body composition of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2018 Feb;25(2):198-203. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2017.06.012. Epub 2017 Jun 20. PMID: 29472765; PMCID: PMC5816004. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29472765/)
11. Bakky MAH, Tran NT, Zhang Y, Hu H, Lin H, Zhang M, Liang H, Zhang Y, Li S. Effects of dietary supplementation of Gracilaria lemaneiformis-derived sulfated polysaccharides on the growth, antioxidant capacity, and innate immunity of rabbitfish (Siganus canaliculatus). Fish Shellfish Immunol. 2023 Aug;139:108933. doi: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.108933. Epub 2023 Jul 5. PMID: 37419435. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37419435/)
12. Priscila Torres, Janaína Pires Santos, Fungyi Chow, Déborah Y.A.C. dos Santos, A comprehensive review of traditional uses, bioactivity potential, and chemical diversity of the genus Gracilaria (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta), Algal Research, Volume 37, 2019, Pages 288-306, ISSN 2211-9264, (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211926418305381)
13. Duan B, Wu Y, Xie S, Hong T, Yang Y, Zheng M, Jiang Z, Zhu Y, Li Q, Ni H, Wang Y, Du X, Li Z. Antifungal mechanism and application to phytopathogenic fungi after anaerobic fermentation of Gracilaria agar wastewater. Bioresour Technol. 2025 Jan;416:131818. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131818. Epub 2024 Nov 13. PMID: 39542052. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39542052/)