What is it?

•Sea moss, also scientifically known as Chondrus crispus, is a type of red algae or seaweed found on the Atlantic shores of North America, Europe and the Caribbean Islands

•Despite being classified as a ‘red-algae’, sea moss, in its natural form, has various colours. The algae are red at the base, turns green toward the centre, and is blue coloured at the tips of the thallus.

•The red colour of the algae can be attributed to the presence of a pigment known as phycoerythrin, either alone or in conjunction with phycocyanin.

Historical/Traditional use

•Used often in Caribbean cultures, sea moss is processed into a gel which is added to many traditional dishes from soups to desserts, acting as a thickening agent and adding a mild salty taste

•During the Irish Potato Famine, this red algae became a popular affordable food source in Ireland due to its promising nutritional profile and ability to thicken soups and add a creamy texture in jellies and custards without drastically altering the flavour

•In recent years, you can get sea moss in many different forms, but the most common ones being gel and capsules

•Irish sea moss has been collected and used by humans for centuries. One of the earliest references for food use of Irish sea moss was from people living along the northeast coasts of the Atlantic, where the algae is abundant.

Nutrition

•Sea moss's nutritional composition can vary due to its processing methods, the region it is harvested from and the specific species of sea moss

•In General, this red alga contains a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants with few calories

•Red algae are rich in bioactive compounds, such as proteins, peptides, amino acids, lipids, fibres, colours, polyphenols and polysaccharides (Kumar et al., 2008), and this type of algae is also known to contain beta-carotene and lutein (Pulz and Gross, 2004).