Making protein 'superfood' from marine algae
Flinders University
Researchers at
Flinders University's Centre for Marine Bioproducts Development (CMBD) in
Australia are responding to growing interest from consumers looking for
healthier, more environmentally friendly, sustainable and ethical alternatives
to animal proteins.
Marine
microalgae, single-cell photosynthetic organisms from the ocean could be the
solution to the world's meat protein shortage, says CMBD director Flinders
University Professor Wei Zhang, who is also co-leading a bid to establish a
national Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre (MB-CRC) in Australia.
The CRC's
mission is to find ways to develop the third-generation of Australian
high-value marine bioindustry (as opposed to the first-generation of fisheries
and the second-generation of aquaculture) and transform Australia's emerging
marine bioproducts sector into a globally competitive industry.
The Centre's
focus will be on industry and market-driven innovations to improve both the
supply chain and value chain to deliver costs savings, improved production and
competitive capacity for Australia to access high value marine bioproducts
markets across the globe.
"Our research spans the entire value chain, from microalgae cultivation and circular advanced biomanufacturing to the development of high-value functional food," Professor Zhang says.
"Microalgae
come in a diverse range of nutritional profiles and advanced cultivation
strategies can be developed for tuning microalgae to produce protein-, oil- and
carbohydrate-dominant types that can be processed into a broad range of
functional foods, including healthy cell patties, chips, pastes, jams and even
caviar."
Two freshwater
microalgal products currently on the market are the high protein Chlorella and
Spirulina varieties used in the production of foods such as green pasta, drinks
and beverages.
Marine species
are of significant interest as they do not require scarce freshwater and crop
land. Their unique nutritional profiles such as their high DHA and EPA content
(long chain omega 3 fatty acids) are essential for infant and brain development
and cardiac health.
Bioreactors for
upscaling upscaled aquatic production of photosynthetic microalgae can also
help to combat greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. One 90 x 90 x 210
cm (3 x 3 x 7 ft) bioreactor unit can absorb up to 400 times more carbon
dioxide than the same footprint of trees.
Using sunlight,
certain varieties of microalgae create oxygen and convert carbon dioxide into
organic carbon (protein, carbohydrates, pigments, fats and fibres), just like
plants, but do not require valuable arable land for their production.
"They are
therefore often called the rainforests of the oceans," says Associate
Professor Kirsten Heimann, senior lecturer in biotechnology at Flinders
University.
"Using
sunlight, photosynthetic microalgae create oxygen and convert carbon dioxide
into organic carbon (protein, carbohydrates, pigments, fats, fibres, and
micronutrients), just like plants, but do not require valuable arable land for
their production.
This means
microalgae can be sustainably harvested and converted into eco-friendly
superfoods," she says. "Putting one and one together, microalgae and
innovative production and processing could help to service the world's booming
population and growing demand for sustainable protein production," she
says.
Along with
research into processing techniques, the CMBD team is also investigating the
use of waste or harvested seaweed for biodegradable plastics production,
another sustainable solution to non-degradable petroleum-based plastics.