Modernisation

From the mechanisation of the harvest to the discovery of phycocolloids: food, textile, medicine, cosmetics and agriculture.

In half a century, the seaweed harvester’s trade has changed beyond recognition. The motorisation of the boats and the mechanisation of the harvest first turned it into a regulated activity, scientifically monitored. Then the discovery of phycocolloids — agar-agar, carrageenans, alginates, gelling substances drawn from seaweed — opened the way to countless uses: food, textile, medicine, marine cosmetics, agriculture, seaweed farming and biomaterials. This tour follows that double shift, from the shore to the laboratory.