By Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III
“Sea grapes” is the common name of the green seaweed that bears grape-like parts, locally known as “lato” in Cebuano and “ar-arosep” in Ilocano. Belonging to the Family Caulerpaceae, the most popular variety of “lato” in the country which has more than 30 species of the plant, is the Caulerpa lentillifera. It is found in the coastal waters of our country, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Papua New Guinea and some countries of Africa.
Lato is a nutritious seafood. It contains high amounts of vitamins (A, B, C and E) and minerals (magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper, iron and iodine). It is also high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acid. A 100-gram sample of dry “lato” has 12.49% crude protein, 0.86% crude lipid, 3.17% crude fiber and 59.27% carbohydrate. It also has polyphenols which are potent antioxidants.
Lato has many health benefits that include anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes, anti- hypertension and anti-cancer. Such benefits are attributed to the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants present in it. For the treatment of high cholesterol, hypertension and osteoarthritis, the following dosages of the seaweed’s powder are recommended: 5 grams/day, 12 grams/day and 2.4 grams/day (for 12 weeks), respectively. Eating too much lato, however, is not advisable because it has caulerpicin that can cause weakness, dizziness and sleepiness.
In the wild, lato grows in warm and shallow lagoons with coral rubble, rocky, sandy and muddy bottoms. In Mactan Island, Cebu where farming of the seaweed was done way back in the 1950s, cuttings of the “lato” are planted in the muddy bottom of former milkfish ponds. The cuttings are planted at 100-250 grams per square meter at a water depth of 0.3 meter similar to planting rice seedlings in a paddy. With a flow-through system, a water depth of 0.5-0.8 meter in the ponds is maintained during the culture period.
Harvesting of lato can be done every two weeks (in the dry season) after two months of culture by uprooting the plant and leaving 20-25% of it to regrow for the next harvest. One to 2.5 tons of the seaweed can be harvested per hectare. Fresh “lato” is sold at retail prices of 100-125 pesos per kilo in local markets. The seaweed has also been exported to Japan, the United States and Europe.
In preparing the harvested seaweed for market, it is thoroughly washed with clean sea water to remove the mud and then placed in bamboo baskets covered with banana leaves. It can stay fresh for 4-5 days if kept in a cool shaded place. For air transport, the washed lato is first completely drained of water and then packed in styrofoam boxes with aeration at the upper sides.
Aside from Mactan Island, the “lato” is also farmed in Bohol and Palawan. In Coron, Palawan, members of the Tagbanwa tribe harvest the plant by diving as deep as five meters to gather it by hand from the bottom.
Photo by Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III