Researchers at Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) have found and demonstrated a groundbreaking way to grow seaweed up to 6.5 times faster than traditional methods by using lab-grown, tissue-cultured seedlings. Seaweeds like Kappaphycus alvarezii, known as the elkhorn moss or guso, are commercially important sources of carrageenan, an additive widely used in processed food products, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Apart from that, seaweeds are also nutritious, absorb carbon, and support the livelihoods of an estimated 200,000 fisherfolk households in the Philippines alone.

Hope for seaweed farmers: SEAFDEC's lab-grown seedlings boost farm growth multiple times. (2024, December 28-29). Panay News, p. 13.