Ulva lactuca

Ulva lactuca, also known as "sea lettuce", is a green algae that can be found almost all over the world on sea coasts.

The sea lettuce is, as the name suggests, often eaten and offered as a sea salad. But it also finds a place in pasta or seasoning mixtures.

Not only for us humans is the sea lettuce healthy, but also as an additive for animal feed, as it offers a variety of micro and macro nutrients^{[4, 5]}.

Because of its many trace elements and minerals Ulva lactuca is an excellent fertilizer.

Ulva lactuca is a rich source of ulvan, a sulfated polysaccharide known for its diverse bioactive properties. Ulvan has been studied for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticoagulant activities, making it a valuable compound in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and agricultural industries. Research suggests that ulvan can support immune modulation, wound healing, and gut health, while also being explored for biodegradable packaging and plant biostimulants^{[8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14]}.

The powder is commonly used for food and dietary supplements^{[3, 6, 7]}.

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

Sources:

1. Ulva lactuca - G.M. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 19 August 2024. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. (https://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=39)
2. Ulva lactuca - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulva_lactuca)
3. Dominguez H, Loret EP. Ulva lactuca, A Source of Troubles and Potential Riches. Mar Drugs. 2019 Jun 14;17(6):357. doi: 10.3390/md17060357. PMID: 31207947; PMCID: PMC6627311. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31207947/)
4. Sırakaya S. Pros and cons of Ulva lactuca and Cladophora glomerata grown in freshwater as feed. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Mar;30(12):33446-33454. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-24532-1. Epub 2022 Dec 8. PMID: 36480141. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36480141/)
5. Bikker P, van Krimpen MM, van Wikselaar P, Houweling-Tan B, Scaccia N, van Hal JW, Huijgen WJ, Cone JW, López-Contreras AM. Biorefinery of the green seaweed Ulva lactuca to produce animal feed, chemicals and biofuels. J Appl Phycol. 2016;28(6):3511-3525. doi: 10.1007/s10811-016-0842-3. Epub 2016 Apr 23. PMID: 28035175; PMCID: PMC5155021. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28035175/)
6. Adrien A, Dufour D, Baudouin S, Maugard T, Bridiau N. Evaluation of the anticoagulant potential of polysaccharide-rich fractions extracted from macroalgae. Nat Prod Res. 2017 Sep;31(18):2126-2136. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2017.1278595. Epub 2017 Feb 1. PMID: 28147712. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28147712/)
7. Hela Yaich, Haikel Garna, Souhail Besbes, Michel Paquot, Christophe Blecker, Hamadi Attia, Chemical composition and functional properties of Ulva lactuca seaweed collected in Tunisia, Food Chemistry, Volume 128, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 895-901, ISSN 0308-8146, (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814611005152)
8. Cindana Mo’o, F. R., Wilar, G., Devkota, H. P., & Wathoni, N. (2020). Ulvan, a Polysaccharide from Macroalga Ulva sp.: A Review of Chemistry, Biological Activities and Potential for Food and Biomedical Applications. Applied Sciences, 10(16), 5488. (https://doi.org/10.3390/app10165488)
9. Barakat, K.M., Ismail, M.M., Abou El Hassayeb, H.E. et al. Chemical characterization and biological activities of ulvan extracted from Ulva fasciata (Chlorophyta). Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 33, 829–841 (2022). (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-022-01103-7)
10. Malvis Romero, A., Picado Morales, J. J., Klose, L., & Liese, A. (2023). Enzyme-Assisted Extraction of Ulvan from the Green Macroalgae Ulva fenestrata. Molecules, 28(19), 6781. (https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28196781)
11. Wang CH, Huang ZT, Tai KF. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of Ulva lactuca for wound healing. PLoS One. 2025 Jan 8;20(1):e0311037. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311037. PMID: 39775568; PMCID: PMC11709284. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39775568/)
12. Margret RJ, Kumaresan S, Ravikumar S. A preliminary study on the anti-inflammatory activity of methanol extract of Ulva lactuca in rat. J Environ Biol. 2009 Sep;30(5 Suppl):899-902. PMID: 20143726. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20143726/)
13. Deveau AM, Miller-Hope Z, Lloyd E, Williams BS, Bolduc C, Meader JM, Weiss F, Burkholder KM. Antimicrobial activity of extracts from macroalgae Ulva lactuca against clinically important Staphylococci is impacted by lunar phase of macroalgae harvest. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2016 May;62(5):363-71. doi: 10.1111/lam.12563. PMID: 26958825. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26958825/)
14. SR, SIVAKUMAR & Ramasamy, Krishnamoorthi. (2019). ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF SEAWEED ULVA LACTUCA L. EXTRACTED CRUDE PROTEIN AGAINST PATHOGENIC FUNGI. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research. 12. 393-396. 10.22159/ajpcr.2019.v12i3.30750. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331644767)