Wakame
Wakame is Undaria pinnatifida, a brown seaweed farmed on ropes in coastal waters of Korea, China and Japan and also harvested where it has spread in other regions. The fronds are blanched or salted, then dried and cut, or milled to powder; the stem and the frilly reproductive part (mekabu) are sold separately. Fucoidan extracts made from wakame are a distinct ingredient with their own regulatory status.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Blanched, dried fronds cut to size that rehydrate in water, for soups, salads and seasonings.
Blanched fronds preserved with salt, sold chilled for foodservice and further processing.
Milled dried wakame for seasonings, snacks and capsules.
The sporophyll, sold dried or frozen as a separate cut.
Polysaccharide extract from wakame sold by fucoidan content, treated as its own ingredient.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep dried wakame sealed and dry in a cool place away from light; it absorbs moisture readily. Salted wakame should stay refrigerated and sealed. Shelf life is set by the supplier's specification, with moisture, appearance and micro rechecked on older stock.
Iodine, arsenic and salt vary from lot to lot with farm location and processing, so record the origin, harvest season and iodine and metals results for each lot and recalculate labels when switching lots.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
21 CFR 184.1120 affirms brown algae, including Undaria pinnatifida, as GRAS when dried and ground or chopped for use in spices, seasonings and flavorings at levels not exceeding current good manufacturing practice.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)7 CFR 205.606 lists wakame seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) among nonorganically produced agricultural products allowed in products labeled organic only when the organic form is not commercially available.
Source: ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Undaria pinnatifida (POL-NF-00766) lists the whole alga as not novel in food and fucoidan extract from Undaria pinnatifida as an authorised novel food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)GRN 565, for fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida notified by Marinova Pty. Ltd., closed on July 2, 2015 with FDA having no questions.
Source: hfpappexternal.fda.gov (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Distributor · Eugene, OR
Mountain Rose Herbs is an Oregon seller of organic and wild-harvested bulk herbs, spices, mushrooms and seaweeds, with a wholesale program for businesses alongside its retail shop.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include dried cut wakame, salted wakame, powder, mekabu and fucoidan extract. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect identity, iodine, heavy metals, moisture and salt, microbiology and foreign matter, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep dried wakame sealed and dry in a cool place away from light; it absorbs moisture readily. Salted wakame should stay refrigerated and sealed. Shelf life is set by the supplier's specification, with moisture, appearance and micro rechecked on older stock.
21 CFR 184.1120 affirms brown algae, including Undaria pinnatifida, as GRAS when dried and ground or chopped for use in spices, seasonings and flavorings at levels not exceeding current good manufacturing practice. 7 CFR 205.606 lists wakame seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida) among nonorganically produced agricultural products allowed in products labeled organic only when the organic form is not commercially available. The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Undaria pinnatifida (POL-NF-00766) lists the whole alga as not novel in food and fucoidan extract from Undaria pinnatifida as an authorised novel food. GRN 565, for fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida notified by Marinova Pty. Ltd., closed on July 2, 2015 with FDA having no questions.
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