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Wild Tasmanian Undaria harvest

Undaria harvest nets

It is spring here in Tasmania and the perfect time of year to harvest our wild Undaria pinnatifida seaweed. This seaweed, native to Japan, was first identified in Tasmania in 1988 and now grows in pockets of the island’s pristine east coast.

As Undaria pinnatifida is an invasive species, Marinova is responsible for monitoring its growth so it doesn’t have a negative impact on the native ecosystem. Professional divers are engaged for this process and to harvest the plants once they reach their peak growth cycle. This is performed by cutting each individual plant by hand and collecting them in nets. Fresh seaweed is then checked for any foreign objects (such as shells) and the spore (commonly known as mekabu) is separated from the leaves (commonly known as wakame). These are then hung immediately on racks to air-dry and preserve maximum bioactivity.

Once the seaweed is dried, the spores undergo the Maritech® extraction process to manufacture our high-purity Maritech® Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan. All nutrient-rich by-products of this process are utilised in horticultural applications, to ensure no part of the seaweed is wasted. The leaves, which are less concentrated in fucoidan, are sold as a premium and nutritious food ingredient to chefs and food manufacturers.

Marinova wishes to thank our divers and Operations Team for managing this crucial process in preserving Tasmania’s coastlines and ensuring our clients are supplied with only premium quality fucoidan!

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