Editing Algae (section)

===As food===
{{See also|Edible seaweed|Algae powder}}
[[File:Dulse.JPG|thumb|Dulse, a type of edible seaweed]]

Algae are used as foods in many countries: China consumes more than 70 species, including ''[[fat choy (vegetable)|fat choy]]'', a cyanobacterium considered a vegetable; Japan, over 20 species such as ''[[nori]]'' and ''[[aonori]]'';<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mondragón |first1=Jennifer |last2=Mondragón |first2=Jeff |title=Seaweeds of the Pacific Coast |date=2003 |publisher=Sea Challengers Publications |location=Monterey, California |isbn=978-0-930118-29-7}}</ref> Ireland, [[dulse]]; [[Chile]], [[cochayuyo]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.algaebase.org/speciesdetail.lasso?species_id=11752&sk=0&from=results&-session=abv3:51909EC30802716127sVj3EDC9C7 |publisher=AlgaeBase |title=Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot}}</ref> [[Porphyra umbilicalis|Laver]] is used to make [[laverbread]] in [[Wales]], where it is known as {{lang|cy|bara lawr}}. In [[Korea]], [[green laver]] is used to make {{lang|ko-Latn|[[Gim (Korean food)|gim]]}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laver Archives |url=https://kimchimari.com/ingredient/laver/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Kimchimari |language=en-US}}</ref>

Three forms of algae used as food:
* ''[[Chlorella]]'': This form of alga is found in freshwater and contains [[photosynthetic]] pigments in its [[chloroplast]].
* [[Klamath Lake AFA|Klamath AFA]]: A subspecies of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae found wild in many bodies of water worldwide but harvested only from [[Upper Klamath Lake]], Oregon.
* ''[[Spirulina (genus)|Spirulina]]'': Known otherwise as a cyanobacterium (a [[prokaryote]] or a "blue-green alga")

The oils from some algae have high levels of [[unsaturated fatty acid]]s. Some varieties of algae favored by [[vegetarianism]] and [[veganism]] contain the long-chain, essential [[omega-3 fatty acid]]s, [[docosahexaenoic acid]] (DHA) and [[eicosapentaenoic acid]] (EPA).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2013-05-22 |title=Vegetarian EPA DHA and Essential Fats |url=http://vegetarian-dha-epa.co.uk/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522103010/http://vegetarian-dha-epa.co.uk/ |archive-date=22 May 2013 }}</ref> Fish oil contains the omega-3 fatty acids, but the original source is algae (microalgae in particular), which are eaten by marine life such as [[copepod]]s and are passed up the food chain.<ref name=":0" />