| Saccharina japonica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Chromalveolata |
| Phylum: | Heterokontophyta |
| Class: | Phaeophyceae |
| Order: | Laminariales |
| Family: | Laminariaceae |
| Genus: | Saccharina |
| Species: | S. japonica |
| Binomial name | |
| Saccharina japonica (J.E. Areschoug) C.E. Lane, C. Mayes, Druehl & G.W. Saunders |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Laminaria japonica J.E. Areschoug |
|
Saccharina japonica (Dashi kombu) is a marine species of Phaeophyceae (brown algae), a type of kelp or seaweed, that is extensively cultivated in China, Japan and Korea.
A commercially important species Saccharina japonica is used for Kombu, Haidai , an important food flavouring from Japan. Large harvests are produced by rope cultivation, a simple method of growing seaweeds by attaching them to floating ropes in the ocean.[1][2]
The species is native to Japan, but has been cultivated in China, Japan, Russia, France, and Korea.[3] It is one of the two most consumed species of kelp in China and Japan.[1] The harvest is also used for the production of alginates, with China producing up to 10 000 tonnes of the product each year.[4]
The species was transferred to Saccharina in 2006.[5] Three synonyms for this species name are Laminaria japonica J.E. Areschoug 1851, its variety Laminaria japonica var. ochotensis (Miyabe) Okamura 1936, and Laminaria ochotensis Miyabe 1902.[3]