SensAlg – Can seaweed become everyday food?
Blue foods have great potential to contribute to a sustainable food system. However, for this to happen, we need to consume much more of so-called extractive species, like algae, which most of us currently only encounter in sushi. Algae offer many advantages: their cultivation does not compete with farmland, and they yield abundant harvests. Algae are also an excellent source of nutrients, including minerals, fiber, and protein. Despite this, algae remain a niche product. Axfoundation aims to change that by developing new, tasty algae-based foods and making seaweed a staple in everyday diets.
Algae are an underutilized resource that could appear on our plates in many forms. Here, fried seaweed with flaky salt.
The Issue
Seaweed is a traditional ingredient in many cuisines, especially in Asia. However, this is not the case in Sweden, even though the waters around Sweden are rich in algae. Currently, seaweed is an underutilized resource that could be served on plates in many forms, but for most people, the taste is unfamiliar, and demand is low. The Swedish seaweed industry is still developing, which makes seaweed expensive. Additionally, there are sensory challenges, such as the texture of algae, which can deter consumers.
Most seaweed available today is dried and imported. Yet, fresh or frozen seaweed offers significant environmental and nutritional benefits. Encouraging consumers to embrace seaweed is challenging, but there is enormous potential to elevate algae from a seasoning to a primary ingredient.Seaweed is an underutilized resource that could be served on plates in many forms, but for most people, the taste is unfamiliar, and demand is low. Seaweed production in Sweden is still in its early stages, which makes seaweed expensive. There are also sensory barriers, such as the texture of seaweed, that pose challenges.
Did you know?
- Seaweed is a subgroup of algae.
- Seagrass is often mistaken for algae. However, seagrass absorbs nutrients through its roots, while algae absorb nutrients through their blades.
- Algae have a low carbon footprint. Fresh sugar kelp has an emission rate of 0.06 kg CO2e/kg, while sea lettuce, which yields lower harvests, has an emission rate of 0.2 kg CO2e/kg. By comparison, wild-caught shrimp emits 14 kg CO2e/kg, and mixed vegetables emit 0.58 kg CO2e/kg.
- Algae are rich in many nutrients, including minerals, fiber, and protein.
Our Solution
The SensAlg project is establishing a completely new sensory knowledge base for cultivating, processing, and incorporating algae into foods to maximize acceptance and consumption. Studies and taste tests are being conducted with children and teenagers in Sweden and across Europe. At Axfoundation, the focus is on sustainability, nutritional value, and sensory quality – ensuring the food is environmentally sustainable, nutritious, and delicious.
The “green” blue food – algae – has immense potential to become a core ingredient in a wide range of products. The goal is to work with seaweed farmers, researchers in algae cultivation and sensory science, and food producers to make algae an everyday food item.
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percent of the 35,000 tons of algae cultivated globally are produced in China and Indonesia (wild-harvested algae account for approximately 1,000 tons). In Sweden, around 80 tons were cultivated in 2022.
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subgroups of seaweed: red, green, and brown. In Sweden, brown seaweed is the most commonly cultivated, particularly 'sugar kelp'.
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tons of algae are produced annually in Sweden.
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hectare of Swedish seaweed farming absorbs nitrogen equivalent to the runoff from three hectares of farmland.
Algae have great potential to become food ingredients in a wide variety of products in the future.
Our Work
Axfoundation is exploring new ways to use algae beyond drying them. At Torsåker Farm, products and concepts containing up to 20% frozen algae are being developed. At the same time, we are mapping market needs and consumer demand.
Seaweed cultivation requires no farmland, fertilizers, irrigation, or pesticides – and it helps purify nutrient-polluted waters.
– Veronica Öhrvik, Project Manager for Future Foods at Axfoundation.
Partners
The SensAlg project is led by Uppsala University and conducted in collaboration with Axfoundation, Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg, Nordic Seafarm, Fisk Idag, Veg Me, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Ghent University, and the University of Milan. The project is funded by Formas.
