Seaweed for Food Applications

Introduction

More than 2 billion people are undernourished due to a lack of essential vitamins and minerals, especially in developing countries. Researchers are adopting new technologies in agricultural production, food processing, and packaging to increase food production and reduce waste. Seaweeds have been used as food since ancient times, mainly in Asian countries. In Western countries, their main use has been in industrial production as a gelling agent. Today, the consumption of seaweed has increased significantly in more countries outside of Asia. Seaweeds have an excellent dietary composition, displaying relatively high protein levels, essential amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, polyphenols, pigments, and vitamins. Amongst these properties, the range of shapes, colors, textures, and flavours make seaweeds attractive as food. They are also one of the richest sources of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents, making macroalgae and their bioactive compounds food more functional, improving health to fight different diseases and nutritious.

Fig 1. Application of seaweeds to develop new food products with enhanced shelf-life, quality, and health-related beneficial properties. (Roohinejad S, et al., 2017)

Customized Solutions

Seaweeds are a renewable source of high value-added compounds that have attracted the interest of the food industry. Our scientists focus on the addition of seaweeds and seaweed extracts to the bakery, dairy, fish, meat, or vegetable products to develop new functional foods, enhancing their nutritional content, quality, and beneficial health-related properties. In addition, we apply seaweeds to food products based on their technical properties (gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties).

Lifeasible is constantly developing the potential of food production from macroalgae and is committed to providing specialist solutions for seaweed food applications.

• Seaweed in Meat Products

We add ingredients with high fiber content, such as seaweed, to regular meat products. In addition, we offer services for testing meat products for color, pH, lipid oxidation, and microbial spoilage parameters.

• Seaweed in Seafood Products

We add high-quality lipids and seaweed extracts to seafood. In addition, we offer a service to evaluate the nutritional, organoleptic, and structural properties of seafood products.

• Seaweed in Bakery Products

Bread and dough products are some of the most widely consumed foods in the world and have great potential for transporting functional ingredients from the sea. We add seaweed powder or extract to bread to improve its physicochemical and nutritional properties. We also optimize the addition of seaweed to improve the total dietary fiber and phytochemical content of breadsticks using the Response Surface Method (RSM). We offer an overall assessment service for the aroma, color, texture, taste, and overall acceptability of seaweed breadsticks.

• Seaweed in Dairy Products

We add seaweed to dairy products to enhance their nutritional value and extend their shelf life. In addition, the richness of essential minerals and trace elements in seaweed makes it possible to obtain healthy cheeses and functional dairy products.

• Seaweed in Flour and Pasta

We add wakame to pasta to increase the biofunctional, microstructural, and qualitative characteristics of the pasta without affecting the organoleptic, technical, and textural characteristics of the product. In addition, we develop seaweed for gluten-free products designed for people with coeliac disease.

Advantages of Our Solutions

• A sustainable food source.
• Rich in many of the nutrients necessary for a healthy lifestyle.
• Our seaweed foods are low in calories and low in saturated fatty acids.
• The consumption of seaweed-rich foods has a positive impact on lifestyle diseases.
• Our seaweed foods have improved organoleptic, nutritional, and health qualities.
• Seaweeds are tested for metals in both inorganic and organic forms before they are used as food.

Lifeasible is constantly exploring the maximum potential of seaweed applications. We try to add seaweed or seaweed extracts in food to improve their health value, shelf life, and overall quality. We are your trusted partner in all aspects of seaweed research. If you are interested in our solutions, please do not hesitate to contact us.