ERA-NET: BlueBio - Total Value Chain Optimization of Seaweeds Furcellaria lumbricalis, A bioeconomic ALGAE demonstration

In this project, we work with a total circular economic approach to assess the potential of different species of red macroalgae, Furcellaria lumbricalis and Schizymenia valentinae. Red macroalgae can be used for food, health food, animal feed, fertilizer and cosmetics. Extraction of the red dye phycoerythrin from F. lumbricalis of special interest. BlueBio Cofund wanted to support projects that focus on the transport of bioresources from harvesting to (pre)treatment, especially with regard to logistics, conservation and transport. In addition to Nofima, that lead the project, entities from five countries are participating. Two are companies that are producers of red algae; Vetik (Estonia) and Hyndla (Iceland). Aarhus University (Denmark) works with alternative protein sources and natural colorings in food. Riga Technical University (Latvia) has expertise in "Life Cycle Assessment" (LCA) and sustainable evaluation of seaweed and kelp as a basis for biorefineries. The University of Santiago de Compostela Biogroup (Spain) does not receive funding and has a support function in this project. They also have several years of experience in LCA and will advise on the effects on the environment. Nofima's role is to help develop better environmental friendly protocols for extracting valuable components from the macroalgae. In addition to phycoerythrin, it contains large amounts of proteins, carrageenan, lipids and biostimulants. In the project, we will test several types of pretreatments of the macroalgae to see what effects it has on the quality and yield of the value components. Residues after extraction are to be investigated further in experiments as a biostimulant for plants.

TACO Algae will take a circular economy approach to evaluate two different red algae species in existing SMEs. The first one is currentlyharvested wild, while the other is cultured in a sustainable new cultivation system. The circular economy approach focuses on supply chainoptimization and minimization of waste. Optimizations are performed with respect to extraction, characterization and utilization of redpigment, protein, lipids, carrageenan and bioactive compounds. The goal is to utilize all constituents and most importantly to find an optimalprocessing approach to yield the highest amount of the most valuable product, and then valorize the remaining components in the bestway. As the pigments are currently viewed as the highest value component, we will first extract pigment with highest stability andinvestigate methods to obtain a colorant that can be utilized both in aqueous and lipid-based food products. The pigment quality, stabilityand suitability for integration in various product matrixes will be investigated. The lipid fraction will be characterized with respect to fattyacids composition to evaluate valorization, while carrageenan as already been marketed as texturizer and algae has also been used asbiostimulants. Finally, bioactive compounds e.g. polyphenols will be investigated with respect to composition and antioxidative capacity. Lifecycle assessment will be used to evaluate the most economically, societal and environmentally sustainable process, both with respect toorder of isolation, volume of biomass to different markets, seasonal possibilities for biomass valorization, as well as the effect on societalinfrastructure and the impact on the environment. The overall goal is to reduce waste, increase local competence based work places andensure sustainable utilization of biological resources