C A N A D I A N
K E L P
R E S O U R C E S
BAMFIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA

COMPOSITION OF KELP

Kelp is considered to be a healthy food, particularly a good source of many micronutrients essential for human health. Kelp carbohydrates are essentially all fibre because our system cannot digest these molecules.

APPROXIMATE CONCENTATIONS OF SOME
COMPONENTS OF KELP AND, FOR COMPARISON,
CABBAGE (values are % of dry weight)

Component	Kelp	Cabbage
Protein	3.03	1.21
Lipid	0.64	0.18
Digestible Carbohydrate	0.00	5.37
Fibre	9.68	0.80
Iodine	0.21	Unknown
Calcium	0.15	0.47
Iron	0.002	0.006
Magnesium	0.107	0.015
Phosphorus	0.080	0.023
Sodium	0.872	0.018
Potassium	0.05	0.246
Zinc	0.0004	0.0002
Manganese	0.0014	0.0002
Ascorbic Acid	0.003	0.047
Alpha-Tocoperol	0.0009	0.0017
Thiamin	0.00006	0.00005
Riboflavin	0.000023	0.00003
Niacin	0.0016	0.0003
Folic Acid	0.05	0.246
Cholesterol	0.0	0.0
Leucine	0.257	0.063
Lysine	0.112	0.057
Phenylalanine	0.112	0.039
Glycine	0.112	0.027
Alanine	0.136	0.042
Valine	0.209	0.052

Reference: Composition of Foods. Agriculture Handbook No. 8-11 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Information Service 502 pp. (1984)