Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

spirulina-based smoked salmon

© SimpliiGood

New in Alt Seafood: Salmon Scent from Plants & EU Strategy to Boost Algae Production

New in alt seafood, taking place in Europe are two interesting developments: Estonian researchers are recreating the scent of salmon using plants, and the EU’s new algae strategy heralds the acceleration of sustainable, fish-free seafood.   Researchers recreate scent of salmon with plants Estonian researchers led by Dr Sirli Rosenvald from Estonia’s Center of Food and Fermentation Technologies (TFTAK) are working to recreate the unique aroma of salmon using plants in order to advance developments in alternative seafood production. The research aims to tackle Europe’s dependence on imported seafood and meet growing demand for fish in a sustainable manner: Europe imports three times more seafood than it produces, and global demand for seafood is expected to increase by 5% over this decade. According to the …

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seaweed-based snacks

© New Wave Foods/SHORE

Scotland’s SHORE Raises Six Figures for Seaweed-Based Snacks & Ramen Broths

Scottish seaweed producer New Wave Foods has raised a six-figure sum from its biggest shareholders. The funding will be used to increase production and expand the company’s SHORE range of seaweed-based products. SHORE will begin by introducing two new ramen broths made with seaweed. Sold ready to heat in the flavours Miso and Chilli, the broths are said to be better quality than powdered or concentrated varieties. They will launch later this month via Amazon and some independent stores. New Wave will also use some of the new funding to increase its production of Scottish seaweed, including at the company’s farm in Oban. Seaweed chips SHORE initially introduced its super-grain seaweed chips about a year ago. Currently available in the flavours Lightly Salted, Asian Peking, …

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Sophie's Vegan Ice Cream

©Sophie's BioNutrients

Sophie’s BioNutrients Develops Chlorella Ice Cream with More Iron and B12 Than Cow’s Milk

Sophie’s BioNutrients, a B2B food tech company, has collaborated with the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) to produce its first chlorella-based ice cream. Made with Sophie’s dairy-free Chlorella Protein Concentrate, the new vegan ice cream boasts a complete nutritional panel, with more B12 and iron than most dairy and plant-based alternatives.  Sophie’s Chlorella Protein is a neutral-hued microalgae flour naturally cultivated from Chlorella vulgaris. The company states the Chlorella vulgaris strains it uses are US GRAS and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved as food ingredients. More nutrients To create the ice cream, the team at Sophie’s worked with DTI’s technical experts to perform an initial screening of the ingredient’s potential, before combining it with functional ingredients that mimicked ice cream’s natural texture. The finished product …

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vgarden plant-based cheese cut on a wooden board

© Vgarden

Vgarden & Brevel to Develop New Category of High Protein Microalgae Cheese

Vegan food manufacturer Vgarden, and microalgae-based alternative protein company Brevel, recently announced a collaboration to develop a new category of high-protein plant-based cheese.  Brevel will provide its microalgae protein which is neutral in color and flavor, allowing Vgarden to develop a rich-protein plant-based cheese that has no aftertaste. The new Brevel-enriched cheese will not compromise the real cheese experience, says Vgarden. Brevel’s microalgae protein Yonatan Golan, Brevel’s CEO and co-founder, said: “Brevel is actively working to solve the biggest nutrition challenges that exist today. We are achieving this by providing truly sustainable microalgae protein which is both color and flavor neutral, and available for the first time at an affordable cost for partners like Vgarden.”  “We are excited that Vgarden will be the first to …

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Sea Veggie Burger from Kelp

©Atlantic Sea Farms

Atlantic Sea Farms Debuts New Sea-Veggie Burgers Made from Sustainable Kelp

Aquaculture specialist Atlantic Sea Farms announces the launch of new Sea-Veggie Burgers made with regeneratively-grown kelp. Available in two varieties, the burgers will debut this month at all US Sprouts Farmers Market locations, as well as additional retailers and Atlantic Sea Farm’s website.  Made with whole plant-based ingredients, including Atlantic’s award-winning kelp, green chickpeas, pea protein, and oat fiber, the Sea-Veggie Burgers are naturally gluten-free and offer a good source of protein, B vitamins, iron, potassium and other essential minerals. The burger patties are available in two flavors, Basil Pesto (basil, lemon red pepper flakes) and Ginger Sesame (Ginger, garlic, toasted sesame), and can cook from frozen in less than 15 minutes. Versatile patties According to the brand, the new burgers also make excellent meal-starters …

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cultivated pork meat sausages

© Mewery

Mewery Proves Feasability of Microalgae-Based Cultivated Pork Without FBS

Czech cultivated pork meat startup Mewery claims it has proven that the company’s proprietary microalgae-based growth medium for cultivating mammalian cells without using fetal bovine serum (FBS) is feasible.  Developing cultivated pork meat using microalgae growth factors instead of fetal bovine serum has been Mewery’s strategy for the production of ethical and more economical cultivated meat. Mewery says it is the first European startup to use this method. Roman Lauš, Mewery’s founder and CEO, comments: “Our microalgae-based cultivation medium is FBS-free. This was the main goal we set at the very beginning, a cultivation medium without animal products. It means meat without animal death.”  He continues, “We were able to validate our method in different environments, and we obtained a so-called ‘proof of concept’ of …

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microbial protein Formo cheese gratin

© Formo

Dutch Government Funds Project to Assess Characteristics of Microbial Proteins 

A Dutch public-private consortium is collaborating on a multi-year project to optimise the processing conditions for different microbial organisms, including microalgae, bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. The project’s aim is to assess which microbial proteins have the functional, economic, and sustainability characteristics needed to create protein-rich ingredients for food applications.  Rianne Ruijschop, Department Head of Health at NIZO and the consortium’s coordinator, explains that the project is divided into four experimental sections to address the challenges of producing microbial proteins. These are efficient culturing of organisms, growing industrial sidestreams, ensuring feasible biomass yields with high protein/low nucleic acid composition, and developing scalable processes. At the end of the project, food application trials will be performed on a selected set of proteins, focusing on dairy, meat, and …

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DSM life's Omega

©DSM

DSM’s “Game-Changing” Vegan Omega-3 Oil Gets EU Regulatory Approval

DSM announces that its life’s™OMEGA product, an algae-derived source of DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids, has been approved for use in meat and fish alternatives by the European Commission across the European Union. DSM claims that life’s™OMEGA is the first commercially available single-source, algae-derived vegan omega-3 oil in the EU. According to DSM, life’s™OMEGA is a significant development for the plant-based industry because it will allow food manufacturers to improve the nutritional profile of fish and meat alternatives with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids similar to those in fish, and “opens an opportunity for the next generation of nutritious plant-based alternatives”. Gilbert Verschelling, director of business development & innovation, savory ingredients at DSM, said: “The regulatory approval of life’s™OMEGA in the EU is a game-changer for …

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Ozers microalgae sports supplements

© Ozers

Ozers to Raise €300K for Unique Microalgae Sports Supplements

French startup Ozers has opened a funding round to raise €300,000 for its innovative microalgae sports supplements. Ozers was founded last year by former boxer Maxence Damarey, food trends hunter Oliver Dahan, and Algama co-founders Alvyn Severien and Gaëtan Gohin. Damarey was inspired to create the company because he was unable to find any supplements that met his needs. The use of microalgae is said to significantly enhance athletes’ endurance, and sets Ozers apart from other plant-based sports nutrition brands. Damarey told vegconomist that microalgae have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, while also enhancing oxygen transport in the blood. The products are marketed towards both professional and amateur athletes. Funding Last year, Ozers (previously known as NØKO FOODS) took part in the sixth cohort of the …

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white chlorella ingredient solution

© Aliga Microalgae

Aliga Microalgae Acquires Duplaco Production Facility For Chlorella Algae

Danish food-tech company Aliga Microalgae recently acquired a microalgae production facility in the Netherlands to commercialise its White Chlorella ingredient. In June 2022, Dutch food manufacturer Duplaco declared bankruptcy, leaving behind one of Europe’s most cutting-edge microalgae manufacturing facilities. Aliga Microalgae, a company that specialises in growing, processing, and selling algae ingredients, bought the facility along with the associated intellectual property and customer stock. The acquisition is a part of Aliga’s scaling strategy, which aims to increase its production capacity and secure the supply chain of its proprietary white chlorella ingredient. This will allow the business to meet the rising demands from producers of vegan, plant-based, and analogous food products around the world. Aliga is currently the only industrial producer of chlorella microalgae in Scandinavia …

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Mark Kulsdom The Dutch Weed Burger

© The Dutch Weed Burger

The Dutch Weed Burger: “Seaweed is Considered the First Plant on The Planet and Has Been at the Foundation of Life as We Know It”

Amsterdam’s Dutch Weed Burger, which offers several alt seafood products enriched with seaweed and microalgae, says it is “Organizing a mutiny in the fast food industry, by showing politicians, big corporations, NGO’s, farmers and consumers that there are new opportunities on the horizon that are nourishing to nature, animals and mankind.” Originally founded by Mark Kulsom and Lisette Kreischer, co-author of Man Eat Plant and Dog Eat Plant, Dutch Weed Burger was acquired by the LIVEKINDLY Co in 2021. The brand’s product portfolio can be purchased online, in supermarkets such as Jumbo and Albert Heijn, at around 200 restaurants throughout the Netherlands, and widely at various festivals and other events. We talked everything seaweed with Mark Kulsom. First of all, congratulations on your tenth birthday! …

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Food-service-Notpla

©Notpla

Women’s EURO Final: Just Eat & UEFA to Introduce “Disappearing” Seaweed Food Packaging

Just Eat and UEFA announce that, in collaboration with sustainable packaging pioneer Notpla, biodegradable seaweed-coated food packaging will be introduced at the UEFA Women’s EURO Final at Wembley Stadium on 31st July, marking a first for a major football match. The packaging that will be served at the Women’s Final is home-compostable and will biodegrade within 4-6 weeks, just like a piece of fruit, according to Just Eat. With the cool tagline, “We make packaging disappear”, the London-based company produces a variety of biodegradable solutions made from seaweed and plant material that disappears naturally. Notpla raised £10 million in Series A last December with the funds going towards the growth of its manufacturing facility and to develop new innovations, such as a transparent flexible film …

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Nae studio algae lampshades

© nea studio

New York’s Nea Studio Launches Chandeliers Made With Algae

Nea studio, an award-winning specialist in interior design and architecture from New York, just launched an innovative new collection featuring sconces and chandeliers made with algae. Founded by Nina Edwards Anker in 2006, nea studio’s philosophy is guided by eco-responsibility. The studio’s newest collection is made from locally sourced marine algae that took the studio eight years to find. Luxury Material Algae is fast becoming a go-to luxury material used by high-end designers around the world. Especially in the interior design sector, ecologically friendly materials that can help to step back from plastics and wood contributing to pollution and deforestation, are a growing trend. In terms of sustainability, algae is a superior choice to most conventional materials used in furniture and lighting. As a translucent …

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Jennifer O'Brien Plantruption

Jennifer O'Brien © Plantruption

Sea & Believe: “After Six Months, We Achieved Our Goal: a Cod-Like Product That Flakes Like Real Fish”

IndieBio alt-seafood startup Sea & Believe recently developed what could be the first plant-based whole cod filet to flake just like real fish. With a focus on Irish seaweed and microalgae, the female-led team is researching and collaborating with universities and food technologists to create plant-based seafood that’s close in taste and texture to the real deal. We talked everything seaweed with Founder Jennifer O Brien. How and why was Sea & Believe born? Growing up in Ireland, I suffered from chronic asthma and spent most of my life managing symptoms while missing education. I remember taking a seaweed bath in Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, Ireland, and experiencing incredible relief from my symptoms. I knew then that there was something special about Irish seaweed and started …

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© AKUA

AKUA Launches Krab Cakes Made With Sustainable Kelp

AKUA, producer of the “world’s first” Kelp Burger, launches its latest NPD — Krab Cakes — on Wednesday, July 20. AKUA creates plant-based foods from locally sourced and regeneratively ocean-farmed kelp, one of the most sustainable and nutrient-dense food sources on the planet, debuting back in 2019 with initial product Kelp Jerky. The Brooklyn brand has received accolades from Fast Company, TIME, and Travel + Leisure for its burger product, and secured $3.2 million last November in a seed round featuring New England Patriots coach and former linebacker Jerod Mayo, beauty founder Cristina Carlino, SmartyPants CEO Courtney Nichols Gould, and Sir Kensington’s co-founder Brandon Child. AKUA says that the Krab Cakes, created with a blend of kelp, cannellini beans, Dijon mustard, artichokes, garlic, onion and …

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