Functional processing of cultivated seaweed for innovative food products

The growing world population needs sustainable new food sources

Feeding a growing global population in a sustainable manner is one of the key challenges of our time. Against this background, alternative food sources are becoming increasingly important. Macroalgae offer great potential in this regard: they grow quickly, require neither irrigation nor fertilization, and can be cultivated in a particularly resource-efficient manner.

While algae have long been an integral part of the diet in many Asian countries, they have so far played a minor role in the European food market. Reasons for this include limited processing solutions and unresolved concerns regarding product safety and functional and nutritional properties. The international collaborative project FunSea addresses precisely these issues and is laying the scientific and technological foundations for making macroalgae usable for innovative and sustainable food applications.

Innovative processing methods for functional algae ingredients

The aim of FunSea is to develop functional food ingredients and prototypes based on cultivated brown and green algae that meet the requirements of modern food production. The focus lies on improved nutritional properties, high product safety, and good technological processability.

Novel processing methods – in particular enzymatic and microbial processes – are used to optimise the functional properties of algae in a targeted manner. At Fraunhofer IVV, we use this approach to develop innovative food concepts for macroalgae that build on our core competencies in the areas of raw material functionalisation, food process engineering and product development. As an example, we are comprehensively characterizing the macroalgae Alaria esculenta in terms of its techno-functional properties. Based on this, we are developing product concepts and systematically evaluating the resulting prototypes in terms of color, texture, taste, and nutritional value.

Macroalgae as a sustainable raw material source for the food industry

In addition to developing innovative food products, FunSea pursues a holistic approach to optimizing the entire value chain. This ranges from biomass production, processing, and preservation to the analysis of technological, sensory, and nutritional properties.

In addition, ecological impacts and economic feasibility are assessed. In this way, FunSea makes a concrete contribution to the development of new, sustainable sources of raw materials and supports the food industry in the development of sustainable, innovative product concepts.