Optimal processing of macroalgae as a new sustainable food ingredient

Seaweed has the potential to contribute in the development of more climate friendly and healthy food systems. Apart from taste and nutrition, brown seaweed contains compounds that may contribute with functional properties, such as improved texture, in food products. The trend towards a lower intake of meat products leads to an increased need for tasty, healthy plant based alternatives. The consumers increased consciousness of what food contains creates an increased pressure on the food industry to produce food with shorter ingredient list with larger focus on "clean label" ingredients. These are areas where innovative seaweed ingredients can be a part of the solution. Development of functional ingredients from seaweed that can replace ingredients used today is an important step towards increased commercial use of seaweed as food. The main goal with the Optialge project has been to develop ingredients based on Norweigan cultivated brown seaweed which has properties beyond taste and nutrition and processes to develop these. During the project a separation process has been developed to produce one fraction, or extract, rich in taste active soluble components which can be used in soups or bouillons. The remaining fraction, rich in insoluble components, has formed a basis for a alginate rich texture ingredient. Raw material from several harvest seasons, subjected to different post harvest treatments and thereby with varying composition av different components have been tested in the separation process to evaluate the effect on the final quality of the ingredients. A central task has been to monitor and control the content of iodine and undesirable components through the process. Since iodine follows the water soluble phase, iodine reduced (blanched) biomass was explored in the production of the extract. To compensate for the taste active components lost at blanching, enzymes were used to solubilize protein. However, the yield was low and it was concluded that untreated biomass had to be used make the process applicable. Initially, both sugar kelp (S. latissima) and winged kelp (Alaria esculenta) was used, but due to the lower iodine content, focus was eventually shifted towards winged kelp. A sensory assessment of extracts produced from winged kelp performed by product developers at Orkla Foods Norway showed that the raw material (harvest date) had larger impact on the taste than the processing conditions (temperature, pH etc.) Characterization of the texture ingredient revealed god gelling ability and tests in model products showed that it was possible to obtain acceptable texture with the use of such an crude alginate rich seaweed fraction. The ingredient was used in liver patê and a plant based (soya) burger For several of the measured parameters, results were comparable to the original products. However, further work is needed to optimize both the ingredient and recipe's before the seaweed containing products can be compared to or replace the original products. The seaweed texture ingredient affected the sensory properties, both taste and colour. Compared to the original products, both the liver patê and the burger had a more green colour, which can be perceived negatively by the consumer. The taste of seaweed is unfamiliar for most of the Norwegian consumers and market research performed during the project has shown scepticism towards the taste, mainly due to the association to sea and fish/seafood. It is therefor very important for the food industry to focus on creating seaweed containing products that fulfils the consumers' expectations of the taste and provides a positive experience. Interviews with consumers have shown that seaweed is considered to be healthy and an underutilized resource but that the knowledge on how to use it and the availability is low.

Som følge av en endring i Orklas strategi mot slutten av prosjektperioden har de potensielle virkningene og effektene blitt mindre enn først antatt ved prosjektstart. En direkte virkning av prosjektet, uavhengig av tema og prosjektresultater, er et økt tverrfaglig samarbeid innad i Orkla, og med forskningspartnerne. Dette ser vi på som positivt, og er et resultat som bidrar til mer fremtidig samarbeid. Effektene på samfunnsnivå har vært små, men prosjektet har bidratt til å sette tare på agendaen hos deler av befolkningen. I tillegg har prosjektet bidratt til økt forståelse rundt dyrking, behandling og bruk av tare - hos primærprodusentene og matvareindustrien.

The growing seaweed farming in Norway provides raw materials of high quality, with an unutilised potential as food and food ingredients. Seaweed has attractive properties as a taste booster (umami), salt replacer, texture-provider, other functions and as a source of essential nutrients. The trend towards reduced meat consumption, for both sustainability and health reasons, imposes an increased demand for attractive and tasty plant-based foods. Orkla Foods Norge produces around 1300 food products, with a potential use of seaweed-based ingredients in a wide spectre, like dried soups and sauces, meat products, meat substitutes, pizza and bakery products. Orkla aims to be in the forefront in development of more sustainable and healthy foods. The project partner SES is one of Norway's largest producers of high-quality cultivated seaweed and a pioneer in seaweed cultivation in Europe. SES aims to become a leading producer of high quality, organic seaweed for the food industry. The main idea of OptiAlgae is to develop Norwegian, cultivated brown algae as a natural part of the everyday diet. A first step towards introducing large-volume, seaweed-based food ingredients to the Norwegian market, is to develop use of seaweed as an ingredient beyond flavour. An aim is therefore to utilise the seaweed's functional properties, in particular as texture-provider and binder. This will require more knowledge about the interactions between e.g. alginate and other components of the seaweed and the food matrix. Another main research task will be the development of separation processes for enrichment of desired flavour components, nutrients and polysaccharides, and for removal of undesired components, like too high levels of iodine. The wide range of food products and thorough market knowledge Orkla holds, provides an ideal arena for testing the technological and sensory qualities of seaweed ingredients and introduce large scale products to the Norwegian, Nordic and international markets.