Phyconomy in Europe
摘要
The algae has been traditionally used in Europe for animal feeding and sometimes in human nutrition. Since the twentieth century, the seaweed resource, especially brown algae, are the main source for the production of phycocolloids such as alginates. The main countries concerned by this production are France and Norway. For four decades, another use of algae has been developing in Europe and more particularly in France. This application concerns the use of seaweeds as sea vegetables or ingredients. This approach is also developed in Ireland and the Netherlands for the production of new food products such as the “Seameat burger”©. Besides this, algae, particularly brown algae, are used by the European industry for the manufacture of products for agriculture (e.g., biostimulants). This chapter describes the historical and current applications of algae in Europe, the species concerned, the production methods, the regulatory constraints, and the possible prospects for the use of this resource in a temperate European environment.