• About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Subscribe Now
  • Media Kit
Friday, October 3, 2025
Food Business Gulf & Middle East
  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Industry Update
    • Ingredients
    • Sweets & Confectionery
    • Processing & Packaging
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Drinks & Beverages
    • Dairy Products
    • Organic Products
  • Country Update
  • Digital Magazines
    • Publications
  • Events
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Industry Update
    • Ingredients
    • Sweets & Confectionery
    • Processing & Packaging
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Drinks & Beverages
    • Dairy Products
    • Organic Products
  • Country Update
  • Digital Magazines
    • Publications
  • Events
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
No Result
View All Result
Food Business Gulf & Middle East
No Result
View All Result
Home News

The blue-green sustainable proteins of seaweed may soon be on your plate

by Food Business News Desk
11 months ago
in News
0
The blue-green sustainable proteins of seaweed may soon be on your plate

The protein in sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a promising complement to both meat and other current alternative protein sources. Seaweed also contains many other important nutrients, and is grown without needing to be watered, fertilised or sprayed with insecticides. However, the proteins are often tightly bound, and their full potential has not yet been realised on our plates.  But now researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have found a new way to extract these proteins three times more efficiently than before – and this progress paves the way for seaweed burgers and protein smoothies from the sea.

“It tastes like umami with a certain salty flavour, despite not containing such high levels of salt. I would say it’s a great flavour enhancer for seafood dishes and products, but the possibilities to explore are endless. Why not protein smoothies or ‘blue burgers’ from the sea?” says João Trigo, PhD in Food Science at Chalmers, about the dark green powder, which is a concentrate of proteins from sea lettuce, scientifically known as Ulva fenestrata. Sea lettuce is a type of macroalgae, commonly called seaweed, which grows on rocks in calm waters, or free-floating on the surface, and resembles ordinary lettuce leaves in appearance.

The so-called protein shift – switching from red meat to more sustainable and healthy protein sources – is a way to reduce the climate impact of food production while providing everyone with a nutritious diet. Many alternative protein sources, mainly based on pea, soy and mushroom, are common in our grocery stores. But all the vegetarian protein that is found under the sea is still an untapped source.

The CirkAlg-project, led by Chalmers University of Technology, has explored the possibilities of developing processes that can create a new, “blue-green” food industry in Sweden, and make use of seaweed as a promising source of protein. Within the framework of the project, a newly published scientific study shows a unique way of extracting proteins from sea lettuce, so that it is now possible to extract three times more protein from the seaweed than was possible with previous methods.

“Our method is an important breakthrough, as it brings us closer to making it more affordable to extract these proteins, something that is done with pea and soy proteins today,” says João Trigo.

Contains several essential nutrients

In addition to essential proteins, sea lettuce contains several other substances of great nutritional value for humans, such as vitamin B12 and the same kind of omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish, like salmon. People who do not eat animal products are at risk of developing a deficiency of vitamin B12, which is necessary for the body to form red blood cells, among other things. And the cultivation of sea lettuce has several advantages compared to land-growing proteins – such as the fact that the seaweed does not need to be watered, fertilised or sprayed with insecticides. Sea lettuce is also hardy and grows well under many different conditions, such as different salinity and access to nitrogen.

“Humanity will need to find and combine the intake of many more diversified protein sources than we have available in our diet today, to meet sustainability and nutritional requirements. Algae is a good addition to many of the products already on the market. We need all these solutions and so far, the sea-based possibilities, the so-called blue proteins, have been overlooked,” says Ingrid Undeland, Professor of Food Science at Chalmers and coordinator of CirkAlg.

In addition to the newly published extraction method, the Chalmers researchers are working together with the University of Gothenburg to increase the actual protein content in the seaweed. By cultivating sea lettuce in process water from the seafood industry, the protein content can be increased significantly, while nutrients that would otherwise be lost are circulated back into the food chain. At Tjärnö Marine Laboratory (part of the University of Gothenburg) in northern Bohuslän in Sweden, a large number of successful cultivation experiments have been carried out within the CirkAlg-project, based on industrial water side currents.

“In the future, we also want to be able to make use of the parts of the algae that are not proteins, and that could be used in food, materials or for medical applications. The goal is that no molecules should go to waste, to achieve both sustainability and commercial opportunities,” says Ingrid Undeland.

More about the extraction method

In addition to proteins that are water-soluble, sea lettuce also contains plenty of fat-soluble so-called membrane proteins. This means that the seaweed proteins are more complex to extract than, for example, soy and pea protein. In a first-step of the new process, the cell membranes of the sea lettuce are opened up in order to access the fat-soluble proteins. The different types of proteins are then extracted with water adjusted to a high pH, and in the next step, by making the solution acidic, the proteins are precipitated into aggregates that could then be separated from the water and utilised as a protein-rich ingredient.  It was also seen that the marine omega-3 fatty acids were enriched in the protein ingredient, and a follow-up study confirmed that the same was true for vitamin B12. The new algae protein ingredient can thus help meet a wider range of nutritional needs compared to soy protein.

The study A new method for protein extraction from sea lettuce (Ulva fenestrata) via surfactants and alkaline aqueous solutions was published in Food Chemistry. The study’s authors are João Trigo, Sophie Steinhagen, Kristoffer Stedt, Annika Krona, Simone Verhagen, Henrik Pavia, Mehdi Abdollahi and Ingrid Undeland. At the time of the study, the researchers were active at Chalmers University of Technology, the University of Gothenburg and RISE – Research Institutes of Sweden.

Post Views: 1,886
ShareShareTweetSendPin
Previous Post

Launching Nescafé Soluble Coffee: Ideal for Hot and Cold Beverages

Next Post

IFF Launches TEXSTAR™, Pioneering Enzyme Set to Transform Fresh Fermented Food Textures

Related Posts

Palsgaard Brazil names new CEO as it gears up for growth
News

Palsgaard Brazil names new CEO as it gears up for growth

October 2, 2025
Tanmiah Inaugurates New Primary Processing Plant and Automated Feed Mill to Boost Food Security and Growth in Saudi Arabia
News

Tanmiah Inaugurates New Primary Processing Plant and Automated Feed Mill to Boost Food Security and Growth in Saudi Arabia

October 1, 2025
Fruit Attraction 2025 breaks record with biggest edition: up to 10% space and 8,4% exhibitors
Events News

Fruit Attraction 2025 breaks record with biggest edition: up to 10% space and 8,4% exhibitors

September 30, 2025
Almarai Reinforces Its Leadership as a Founding Partner at the Future Food Forum 2025 in Dubai
News

Almarai Reinforces Its Leadership as a Founding Partner at the Future Food Forum 2025 in Dubai

September 29, 2025
Kissabel® Showcases Extraordinary Taste and Colours at Fruit Attraction (Hall 08 – Stand 8A16)
News

Kissabel® Showcases Extraordinary Taste and Colours at Fruit Attraction (Hall 08 – Stand 8A16)

September 29, 2025
INTERFEL brings the Parisian spirit to Fruit Attraction
News

INTERFEL brings the Parisian spirit to Fruit Attraction

September 26, 2025
Next Post
IFF Launches TEXSTAR™, Pioneering Enzyme Set to Transform Fresh Fermented Food Textures

IFF Launches TEXSTAR™, Pioneering Enzyme Set to Transform Fresh Fermented Food Textures

July-Sept 2025 Edition

RECOMMENDED NEWS

Coffee Planet Launches ‘Brewing Futures’ Initiative to Empower Aspiring Baristas as Part of Its 20-Year Anniversary Celebration

Coffee Planet Launches ‘Brewing Futures’ Initiative to Empower Aspiring Baristas as Part of Its 20-Year Anniversary Celebration

10 months ago
Palsgaard seeks partners in ambitious project to pioneer plant-based alternatives to egg ingredients

Palsgaard seeks partners in ambitious project to pioneer plant-based alternatives to egg ingredients

1 year ago
FPS Food Process Solutions Continues to Invest in US-Based Manufacturing and Services

FPS Food Process Solutions Continues to Invest in US-Based Manufacturing and Services

6 months ago
Tanmiah Food Company inaugurates the Central Monitoring System as part of its digital transformation strategy

Tanmiah Food Company inaugurates the Central Monitoring System as part of its digital transformation strategy

9 months ago

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • Country Update
  • Dairy Products
  • Editor's Pick
  • Events News
  • Fruits & Vegetables
  • Industry Update
  • Ingredients
  • Meat & Poultry
  • News
  • Organic Products
  • Processing & Packaging
  • Sponsored News
  • Sweets & Confectionery
  • Video
Food Business Gulf & Middle East

Food Business is the highest circulating quarterly published magazine in the Middle East.

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Future-Proof Your Beverage Closures: Discover What’s Next in Sustainability
  • Palsgaard Brazil names new CEO as it gears up for growth
  • Tanmiah Inaugurates New Primary Processing Plant and Automated Feed Mill to Boost Food Security and Growth in Saudi Arabia
  • Fruit Attraction 2025 breaks record with biggest edition: up to 10% space and 8,4% exhibitors

Category

  • Country Update
  • Dairy Products
  • Editor's Pick
  • Events News
  • Fruits & Vegetables
  • Industry Update
  • Ingredients
  • Meat & Poultry
  • News
  • Organic Products
  • Processing & Packaging
  • Sponsored News
  • Sweets & Confectionery
  • Video

Recent News

Future-Proof Your Beverage Closures: Discover What’s Next in Sustainability

Future-Proof Your Beverage Closures: Discover What’s Next in Sustainability

October 2, 2025
Palsgaard Brazil names new CEO as it gears up for growth

Palsgaard Brazil names new CEO as it gears up for growth

October 2, 2025
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Subscribe Now
  • Media Kit

© 2025 Food Business Gulf & Middle East

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Videos
  • Industry Update
    • Ingredients
    • Sweets & Confectionery
    • Processing & Packaging
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Drinks & Beverages
    • Dairy Products
    • Organic Products
  • Country Update
  • Digital Magazines
    • Publications
  • Events
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit

© 2025 Food Business Gulf & Middle East

Subscribe to our newsletter and online magazine

Subscription Form FG