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Laminarin

Laminarin is a polysaccharide carbohydrate very much like starch, except it functions as an energy storage compound for Laminaria and other brown algae like kelp. These are large seaweeds of about thirty different genera. It grows in underwater kelp forests in clear shallow salt water and requires reasonably warm nutrient rich water.

Laminarin is clearly a high-energy carbohydrate. It is directly produced by photosynthesis in an algae that grows in long stalks at the rate of as much as 30 centimeters per day, up to 60 meters total. Laminarin is the nutrient-rich part of kelp that feeds hundreds of sea animals. In addition, kelp is an important part of the Japanese diet and the diets of several other sea-dependent cultures.

Though we don't yet know much about laminarin, it has some very useful properties. It is rich in iodines and alkali, as well as calcium. Ash produced by kelp is used in soap and glass production, and laminarin can be used as a thickener in several industries, like ice cream, jelly, and toothpaste. Bladderwort is one form of kelp that is used in several health-food products to promote a healthy urinary tract, and it's probable that the laminarin is part of what produces its purported effects.

Web Resources On Laminarin

Laminarin in the dietary fibre concept
Laminarin sulfate mimics the effects of heparin

Book Resources On Laminarin

Synopsis of biological data on Laminaria hyperborea by Joanna M. Kain
Physiological studies on laminarin and mannitol of brown algae by Kazutoshi Nishizawa

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