PELAKITA.ID – Kasmiati, STP, MP, Ph.D., a lecturer at the Department of Fishery Product Technology, Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries, Hasanuddin University (FIKP UNHAS), emphasizes that the utilization of seaweed has become increasingly widespread.
However, many of its valuable components are still not fully processed within Indonesia.
A significant portion of Indonesia’s seaweed production is exported in the form of dried raw material, while the rest is processed domestically into hydrocolloids, primarily agar and carrageenan, using standardized methods and procedures.
“Extraction of vitamins, pigments, or other bioactive compounds can also be carried out using specific methods. However, such processes are currently limited to laboratory-scale research. Expanding this to an industrial scale holds great potential, given that Indonesia is the world’s leading producer of tropical seaweed,” Kasmiati told Pelakita.ID on Friday, February 7, 2025.
This explains why a larger proportion of Indonesia’s seaweed is exported rather than being processed domestically.
According to her, hydrocolloids such as agar and carrageenan have various quality grades based on their purity. In Indonesia, most hydrocolloid production is in the form of semi-refined agar and semi-refined carrageenan, primarily for export purposes.
Meanwhile, the production of refined agar and refined carrageenan remains very limited within the country, with most of it being processed overseas. The higher the purity level, the greater its economic value.
“The quality grades of hydrocolloid products depend on factors such as the type of raw material, production process, and product purity,” explained Kasmiati, who is familiarly known as Ami.
The raw materials in question refer to specific seaweed species, such as Eucheuma, which is used for carrageenan production, or Gracilaria, which is used to produce agar.
These two types of seaweed are commonly cultivated by Indonesian seaweed farmers. Gracilaria verrucosa is typically farmed in brackish water ponds, while Eucheuma spinosum (which produces iota-carrageenan) and Eucheuma cottonii (which produces kappa-carrageenan) are cultivated in marine environments.
Among these, E. cottonii, also known as Kappaphycus alvarezii, is the most widely cultivated species, commanding the highest market price compared to other varieties.
Kasmiati further stated that seaweed contains a diverse range of beneficial compounds, making it suitable for applications in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
“It is naturally rich in various vitamins,” added the Unhas academician, who has published 13 major studies on seaweed utilization, including a guide on producing instant noodles from seaweed.
However, Kasmiati noted that producing vitamins or other specific bioactive compounds requires more advanced processing techniques.
“So far, the production of more specialized seaweed-derived components has been largely carried out by industries in Japan,” added the seaweed specialist from Enrekang.
Kasmiati emphasized that it is not an exaggeration to consider seaweed as a potential solution to future global challenges.
“Seaweed plays a crucial role in food security, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, fertilizers, eco-friendly products, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability,” she concluded.
According to 2022 production data, South Sulawesi Province in Indonesia recorded a seaweed yield of 3.7 million tons, followed by East Nusa Tenggara (1.7 million tons) and North Kalimantan (788,000 tons).
South Sulawesi remains the top seaweed-producing region in Indonesia, contributing approximately 35% of the nation’s total seaweed output.
Writer: Kamaruddin Azis
