78 



For a proper comparison the fresh algse should be compared with 

 succulent green foods, like spinach and bananas, or such materials as 

 poi or taro. If the air-dry materials are considered they should be 

 compared with such articles as dried vegetables, crackers, meal, beans, 

 cheese, dried beef, dried fish, etc. In the following table analyses are 

 given of a number of common articles of food, and for comparison 

 three of the more common limus are included, which have been 

 calculated on a uniform water basis of 80 per cent : 



Composition of marine algic compared with other foods. 



Limu akiaki {Ahnjeldtia coneinna)<i 



Limu pahapaha ( Ulva fasciata and U. 



laetuca) a 



Limu manauea (Crracilaria coronopi- 



folia)a 



Wheat bread >> 



Corn meal& 



Crackers o ^ 



Tarod 



Poid 



Potatoes c 



Sweet potatoes " 



Beans, Lima, slielled b 



Beans, dried & 



Bananas t-' 



Spinach & 



Beef, round c 



Pork, shoulder 



Codfish, salt o 



Beef, dried, salted, and smoked o 



Mullet o 



Eggs, hen's o 



Cheese, full cream 6 



filce >> 



Water. 



Per cent. 

 80.0 



80.0 

 35.3 

 12.6 

 6.8 

 67.5 

 83.0 

 78.3 

 69.0 

 68.5 

 12.6 

 76.3 

 92.3 

 67.8 

 51.2 

 53.6 

 54.3 

 74.9 

 73.7 

 34.2 

 12.3 



Per cent. 

 1.4 



3.7 



1.8 



9.2 



9.2 



10.7 



1.9 



.3 



2.2 



1.8 



7.1 



22.5 



1.3 



2.1 



20.9 



13.3 



25.4 



30.0 



19.5 



13.4 



25.9 



8.0 



Fat. 



Per cent 

 0.0 



.0 



1.3 



1.'9 



8.8 



.2 



.6 



.1 



.7 



.7 



L8 



.6 



.3 



10.6 



34.2 



.3 



6.5 



4.6 



10.5 



33.7 



Carbohy- 

 drates. 



Per cent. 

 14.4 



12.6 



14.1 

 53.1 

 75.4 

 71.9 

 29.3 

 15.8 

 18.4 

 27.4 

 22.0 

 59.6 

 22.0 

 3.2 



2.4 

 79.0 



Per cent. 

 4.2 



4.1 

 1.1 

 1.0 

 1.8 

 1.1 



.3 

 1.0 

 1.1 

 1.7 

 3.5 



.8 

 2.1 

 LI 



.8 

 24.7 

 9.1 

 1.2 

 1.0 

 3.8 



.4 



Fuel 



value per 



pound. 



Calories. 

 290 



295 



290 



1,185 



1,610 



1,906 



595 



326 



386 



570 



666 



1,660 



460 



no 



835 



1,690 



410 



840 



555 



720 



1,875 



1,590 



a Recalculated from figures given in preceding table to uniform water content. 

 6U. S. Dept. Agr., OiSoe of Experiment Stations Circ. 46 (revised). 

 cU. S. Dept. Agr., Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 28 (revised). 

 d E. C. Shorey, Hawaii Experiment Station. 



As will be seen by the data in the above tables, carbohydrates con- 

 stitute the principal nutritive material present in algse, though they 

 contain considerable quantities of protein and relatively high propor- 

 tions of ash. So far as can be learned little information is available 

 regarding the character of the nitrogenous material present and the 

 proportions of albumins, which have a high food value as compared 

 with amids or other nitrogenous extractives. As a class the algse 

 differ very decidedly from the usual food materials in the character of 

 the carbohydrates present, starch being usually replaced by such 

 carbohydrates as mannit and substances which yield on hydrolysis 

 various galactoses, mannose, glucose, pentose, etc.'* 



Judged by chemical composition the air-dry algse compare favor- 

 ably with other common food materials, particularly those of vegetable 



"See summary of data in U. S. Dept. Agr., Office of Experiment Stations Bui. 

 159, p. 34. 



