another mile stone in the seaweed revolution

Seaweed cuisine on crest of a wave

Published Date: 06 February 2011

By Emma Cowing

IT'S slimy, smelly and Scottish, and it's coming soon to a dinner plate near you.

• Rich bounty: Iain Mckellar at work harvesting seaweed on the Isle of Bute by cutting it with a clam shell. People want to eat the nutritious sea vegetable he says, they just don't know it yet. Photograph: Robert Perry

Scottish seaweed, best known as a slippery hazard at the seaside but now rechristened "sea vegetable," is on track to become one of the restaurant world's most fashionable dishes.

The surge in popularity follows former milkman Iain McKellar setting himself up as Scotland's only commercial seller of a range of edible seaweeds including kombu, bladderwrack and carrageen from his base on Bute. He is now inundated with orders from top London restaurants.

McKellar, who just 18 months ago was on the dole after being made redundant from his job driving a milk lorry, now harvests 18 varieties of seaweed from the beach outside the island capital Rothesay, where he cuts them off the rocks with a clam shell.

After setting up his business online, McKellar's seaweed is on the menu at some of the top restaurants in the country, including Michelin-starred eateries such as Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley in London, L'enclume in Cumbria and The Burlington in Yorkshire. He has also fielded interest from Scotland's Michelin-starred chefs Andrew Fairlie, and George McIvor, a former chairman of the Master Chefs of Great Britain.

It has now become so popular Mckellar will this month start foraging courses to teach chefs how to source sea "vegetables" themselves.

"When I started out I couldn't understand why people were buying imported foreign dried seaweed when we're surrounded by the fresh stuff and it's all edible," said Mckellar. "Seaweed is a beautiful, nutritious, fresh vegetable. People want to eat seaweed - they just don't know it yet."

There are more than 100 varieties in the waters around Scotland, but they have been traditionally shunned as food. Seaweed has experienced a recent rise in popularity in culinary circles after Danish restaurant Noma, recently ranked the world's number one restaurant ahead of Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck, started using sea vegetables on its menu. Blumenthal also recently released a range of stocks for Waitrose that include kombu, as well as a beef, ale and kombu pie.

"There are so many uses for sea vegetables," said John Quigley, head chef and proprietor at Glasgow's Red Onion Bistro. "The problem is I don't think a lot of people see beyond the fact that it's a sea vegetable and it comes out the sea and it's slimy. That's the problem."

Roy Brett, head chef at Edinburgh seafood restaurant Ondine, agreed. He said: "I really like working with sea vegetables. They do have a place on the menu. They give you so many nutrients and vitamins and we always get so many great comments when we use seaweed in our dishes. People enjoy it.It's got great flavour."

Mckellar is now hoping to supply more top restaurants and hopes his foraging courses will create even more demand. "We'll get them in their wellies and down to the shore to see what it's actually like," he said. 

He added: "Seaweed is not a convenience food, and that's perhaps one of the reasons it's not had the huge surge of popularity until now. There is quite a bit of effort involved, you've got to cut it at a particular time of day, use the clam shell, wash it and rinse it - but it is all worth the effort."

Brett believes there needs to be a change in attitudes to how consumers treat local produce such as seaweed. He said: "We import herbs and salads from Israel yet we've got people out there on our own doorstep putting money into their own economy. We really should be supporting them rather than buying things that have travelled the world."

One dish on Wareing's Berkeley menu that includes seaweed involves Scottish lobster, squash, sea beet and lobster bisque. 

Philippines catch on while we do nothing

Lanao Norte farmers shift to seaweeds

January 23, 2011, 4:16pm

TUBOD, Lanao del Norte, Philippines – With the strong support of the Lanao del Norte provincial government, many local farmers and fishermen in the province have shifted to seaweed growing which they discovered to be not only more profitable but also less physically laborious, it was learned here recently.

Lanao del Norte Gov. Khalid Q. Dimaporo, with the technical assistance of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), recently implemented the Comprehensive Livelihood Emergency and Employment Program (CLEEP) for seaweed farming in the coastal towns of Kolambugan, Tubod, Maranding, Bacolod, Lala, and Karomatan.

Dimaporo said that in Kolambugan’s seaside village of Manga alone, at least 75 families initially became seaweed growers who received their seedlings from the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) in this capital town.

The positive impact of PAO’s initial seaweed distribution in Manga, Dimaporo said, prompted other local families to troop to this town to secure their own seedlings even as similar moves were later taken by other villagers from other coastal municipalities until the PAO could hardly cope with the demand for seaweed seedlings.

Dimaporo reported that the DoST recently allocated close to P1 million for the expansion of the local seaweed farming project to more than 300 new family beneficiaries.

He said the PAO has extended the distribution of more seaweed seedlings to recipient families in the villages Simbucao, Mukas,Tabigue, Manga, Pgcaranas, and Taguiguiron. (Tony Pe. Rimando)

HHMMM seaweed dosnt stink untill it rots

Around 15 million tonnes of cultivated wet seaweed are used each year by international seaweed manufacturers for products such as nutraceuticals and traditional Asian foods. Source: The Daily Telegraph

IT'S not mother nature's prettiest work and when it washes up on the beach it stinks but it could just be Australia's next cash cow.

A Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation report has identified a potential export market for seaweed. The global edible seaweed industry is worth $6 billion a year.

The algae is also used to produce pharmaceuticals, health foods and various agricultural products.

Report co-author and Wollongong University's Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre director Pia Winberg said Australia imported about $20 million of edible seaweed each year, most of it already processed.

One Australian company is already producing pharmaceuticals from seaweed and a Tasmanian firm is making agricultural products, but both rely on costly imports, she said.

Not only are our unpolluted waters perfect for growing seaweed, Australia is home to two types of nori, which is used to make sushi, and other native species have been found to contain cancer fighting and anti-diabetes properties, she said.

"We have a lot of very clean, untouched waters and we could be using that to target the very clean, green food markets.""It's probably the niche markets that will suit us," Dr Winberg said.

And the seaweed revolution might not be restricted to our pristine coastline. Our saline-affected countryside could also be used to grow seaweed.

"There's great potential for inland areas," she said.

"The problem is that inland salty waters can be quite different to sea water, with higher levels of iron and not as much potassium."

yer ok but fresh is best

Studies prompt interest in seaweed as salt replacer

By Jess Halliday, 19-Jan-2011

Related topics: Financial & Industry, Flavours and colours, Preservatives and acidulants

Interest in seaweed granules as a salt replacer has soared in the last year, according to the producer, as the first results of a UK government-funded study indicate high consumer acceptability of various bread in which it replaced 50 or 100 per cent of the salt.

The Outer Hebridean Seaweed Company, which produces Seagreens branded consumer products and ingredients from Arctic wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) attracted UK government funding funder the Food Innovation Project in 2007 to conduct research into the seaweed’s potential use as a salt replacer in consumer food products.

The positive findings on taste and preservation were presented at the Chester Food and Environmental Science Week in 2010, and have been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology. Seaweed granules were successfully used to replace up to 100 per cent of the sodium chloride.

Simon Ranger, managing director of Seagreens, told FoodNavigator.com that interest from the food industry has mushroomed since the event in Chester. Its ingredient is distributed by Gee Lawson.

“At this stage we are sticking our head above the parapet for the first time,” saidRanger. “We started out specialty and organic, we are now becoming mainstream”.

He revealed that the company is talking to two of the top five UK supermarkets about using the seaweed granules in baked goods. There are many solutions on the market for reducing salt content in foods, including mineral complexes, as the industry is working to a tough mandate to reduce sodium chloride levels in packaged and prepared products.

But the good performance of the Seagreens granules is attributed to its “perfect balance of minerals”.

Ranger described it as “like an extremely rich and very balanced salt – which salt isn’t, it’s just sodium chloride”.

In addition, the polysaccharides in the seaweed have effect on shelf-life and preservation.

Some trials using Seagreens granules have also been conducted in meat products, like sausages, cheese, and ready meals, but the research with Sheffield Hallam focused on bread because that is where the most pressing need is for salt reduction solutions.

Study findings

The research with Sheffield Hallam, led by Dr Andrew Fairclough, concluded that“as well as maintaining the taste of the food, Seagreens dried granulated seaweed also helped to preserve it, potentially lengthening its shelf life in a similar way to salt”.

Fairclough’s team studied different forms of seaweed in different kinds of loaves, assessing bake and sensory qualities, and rheology. FoodNavigator.com has not seen the full results and methodology, but the initial communication indicates that wholemeal bread slices with 50:50 coarse seaweed granules:salt were preferred by 67 per cent of panellists to “normal salt control”.

Seventy five per cent of panellists preferred white bread with the sesaweed granules to the regular approach.

In sundried tomato and basil bread, the researchers were able to replace 100 per cent of the salt with Seagreens; in this case, there was only 0.3g sodium choloride per 100g bread.

Foundation

Seagreens set up an independent research foundation to conduct more research into seaweed in 2009, with Sheffield Hallam as the first partner.

Ranger’s company puts 20 per cent of ingredient sales into the foundation, representing a small contribution to research costs to be supplemented by government funding and other industry partners.

Ranger called it “a non-profit forum, to share the costs of doing research.”

He said that the main interest is in the role seaweed can play in nutrition, as it is “a wonderful, natural whole food”. In addition, he believes it could be used in foods for special diets, as seaweed contains the same nutrients as are present in wheat and milk, but without the allergens.

The foundation is experimenting with other forms of seaweed which have different properties and nutritional profiles – and which could prove useful either alone or in combination with others.

hay shela fancy some weed

Australian seaweed’s untapped potential

19 Jan, 2011 12:48 PM

NEXT time you get caught up in a mass of seaweed at your local beach these summer holidays, take some comfort in the fact you might be swimming through a potential export earner for the Australian agriculture industry.
A new report published today by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) highlights a number of local seaweed species that could be commercialised and marketed to overseas and domestic buyers.

Australia’s local seaweed industry represents only a fraction of the $US6billion global seaweed industry.

Around 15 million tonnes of cultivated wet seaweed are used each year by international seaweed manufacturers for products such as nutraceuticals and traditional Asian foods.

‘Seaweed cultivation pilot trials’ concludes there is untapped potential in smaller, high product value markets for nutritional and health applications that Australian seaweed producers could potentially take advantage of.

“Australia has a number of advantages when it comes to the development of a local seaweed industry,” RIRDC Managing Director, Craig Burns said.

“For example, our long and unpolluted coastline is very well suited to the production of high quality health and food products.

“Australia has the capacity and potential to undertake cutting-edge screening and development of healthy seaweed products, in particular, products with nutraceutical and anti-cancer applications.

“And, a potential Australian seaweed industry could be integrated into broader aquaculture industry markets such as abalone feed, or as an ingredient in nutritionally enhanced fish foods.

“Such integration has been shown overseas to be both technically and economically feasible, and sensible from an environmental perspective.

“The development of seaweed cultivation technology in coastal areas could also pave the way for new crops in large areas of saline affected agricultural land.

“Coastal communities in particular could benefit from the development of a local seaweed industry, particularly areas which have experienced reduced productivity in their fishing industries.”

Mr Burns said that whilst the report paints a positive picture for an Australian seaweed industry, it also identifies a number of challenges facing commercial production of seaweed.

For example, technology in Australia is still in its infancy and requires significant investment to take it to the next stage.

The report’s authors were Dr Pia Winberg, Dr Danielle Skropeta and Alex Ullrich.

Seaweed cultivation pilot trials is available on the RIRDC website www.rirdc.gov.au .

RIRDC

Source: http://www.rirdc.gov.au

BAD BAD MAN

Kelp taker under fresh scrutiny

Home » News » Dunedin

Wed, 19 Jan 2011

News: Dunedin | DCC | Fisheries | ORC

The man who has been harvesting seaweed from a south coast beach is being investigated by three authorities.

Simon Stott, who has been harvesting bladder kelp (Macrocystis) 1.6km south of Brighton beach for fertiliser, is now under investigation by the Ministry of Fisheries, the Otago Regional Council and the Dunedin City Council.

The investigations were sparked after Dunedin city councillor and Brighton resident Colin Weatherall raised concerns last week that Mr Stott had damaged sand dunes by driving over them with a 10-tonne truck and front-end loader to reach the beach.

At the time, Ministry of Fisheries fisheries officer John Kennedy told the Otago Daily Times the ministry believed Mr Stott was permitted to harvest bladder kelp under the ministry's quota system.

However, he contacted the ODT yesterday saying it now appeared Mr Stott might not be allowed to harvest seaweed and the ministry was investigating.

"There is no commercial beach-cast harvesting of any type of seaweed in the Brighton-Taieri Mouth area," he said.

The Otago Regional Council was also investigating, resource management director Dr Selva Selvarajah said yesterday.

Mr Stott did not have an ORC resource consent to remove seaweed, he said.

"We could prosecute or serve a $500 infringement notice.

"There is a rule for the removal of natural materials, such as sand, shells or seaweed.

"It is considered a permitted activity, but disturbing a coastal marine area has restrictions under the coastal plan and people should refer to the rules."

Staff were preparing a report which would be competed "shortly", he said.

Cr Weatherall said yesterday he had been told DCC staff were looking into the damage to the two beachfronts.

"The unauthorised encroachment of the roading reserve is under investigation," he said.

Both Cr Weatherall and Mr Kennedy said Mr Stott had not harvested at the beach since last week.

Mr Stott could not be contacted for comment yesterday.

Indonesia to become top global fish supplier and the world`s biggest seaweed producer.

Jakarta, Jan 17 (ANTARA) - Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad has the ambition not only to turn Indonesia into a top global fish supplier but also the world`s biggest seaweed producer.

Indonesia is striving to produce 10 million tons of seaweed per by 2015, making it the number one producing country, replacing the Philippines.

"We are trying to increase seaweed production on a mass scale to enable Indonesia to become the biggest seaweed producer in the world," Minister Fadel Muhammad said when speaking in the Third Seaweed International Business Forum and Exhibition (Seabfex) in Surabaya, East Java, July 2010.

Fadel was optimistic that in the next two years the target might partly be achieved especially in view of the vast seaweed cultivating grounds in Indonesia`s eastern parts, like East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Maluku, and North Maluku.

Indonesia, a maritime country having the world`s second longest coastal line, has very big potential in the production of seaweed, which is relatively easy to cultivate as it takes only 45 days to fully grow.

Seaweed is in very high demand in the international markets, especially as a raw material for the production of food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Seaweed is also good fertilizer and is currently under consideration as a potential source of bioethanol.

In line with the planned seaweed production increase, the minister would also want to see many more seaweed processing factories to be built in the country in the next two years in order to boost exports of processed seaweed products. Currently, Indonesia has around 23 seaweed producing companies.

For that purpose, Minister Fadel has urged banking circles to provide smallholder credits for seaweed farmers.

"Without the credits, I think it would be rather difficult to develop seaweed," he said.

Regarding Indonesia`s plan to mainly process seaweed at home, Prof Dr Jana Anggardiredja, the Technology Assessment and Application Agency (BPPT)`s deputy for natural resource development technology, last March said a lot of researches were needed to raise the target of seaweed processed products from 20 kinds to 50.

Prof Jana, concurrently Chairman of the Indonesian Sea Weed Society, said almost all of the Gracilaria sp seaweed production has been absorbed at home because there has already been a gelatin plant, which is the world`s biggest, in the country.

"In the future we must process it more or, if possible, totally at home," he said.

He pointed out that China whose sea did not produce seaweeds had many seaweed processing industries and therefore needed a lot of seaweed as the raw materials from Indonesia.

The world`s demand for carrgeenin in 2006 reached 40,000 metric tons a year worth US$335 million, while alginate 12,000 metric tons a year worth US$94 million and gelatine 10,000 metric tons a year worth US$181 million.

By 2014 he hoped absorption of domestically processed carrageenin would increase to 15 percent or around 4,000 tons while exports to reach around 22,000 tons.

He also hoped absorption of domestically processed gelatine would be 85 percent or around 4,250 tons and exports around 750 tons.

In 2009 Indonesia`s seaweed production reached 2,574,000 tons, which increased sharply from the 2005 level of only 910,636 tons.

"Seaweed to the total production of marine and fisheries accounted for 8.9 pct, while we set a target of 27 pct by 2015," Minister Fadel said last February in the Seabfex III opening which was participated in by representatives from 14 countries, such as the Philippines, South Korea, China, Malaysia, France, India, Germany, Canada, Chile, Japan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands.

Indonesia`s total seaweed exports reached 102,415.93 tons, worth 124.36 million US dollars, with destinations including Asia, Europe, America, Australia, and Africa.

With regard to carrageenin product, Indonesia had controlled around 13 percent of the world`s market in 2007 and 13.7 percent in 2008, 14 percent in 2009 and predictably 15 percent in 2010, according to Martani Huseini, the marine affairs and fisheries ministry`s director general of fishery product processing and marketing in Gorontalo, Sulawesi, last April.

Petrus Rani Pong, a researcher from the Mamuju fishery and brackish water cultivation research center in South Sulawesi Province, one of the country`s biggest seaweed producers, said in June 2010 that with the support of innovative technology, Indonesia would be able to achieve the 10 million tons target by 2014, from 2.6 million tons in 2010.

Besides, the government has facilitated the expansion of seaweed cultivation areas from 2.1 million hectares into 2.6 million hectares in 2010, he said.

He believed that seaweed cultivation involving thousands of farmers throughout the nation could help improve the people`s welfare since the overseas demands for seaweed were very high.

Of seven seaweed species being cultivated in Indonesia, the majority is Kappaphycus species, which is considered good quality. (Xinhua)

Indonesia`s Island of Bali will host the 21st International Seaweed Symposium (ISS) in 2013. The decision was taken in the 20th ISS which was organized in Mexico in February 2010, according to Chairman of the Indonesian Seaweed Producers` Association (ALRI) Safari Azis Husain.

Azis Husain, who had attended the Mexico meeting, said the appointment of Indonesia to host the important meeting, reflected that Indonesia has been considered of having huge potential in the seaweed cultivation.

Based on the data resulted from a mapping carried out by a Filipino researcher, Dr. Anicia Q. Hurtado, there were 11 spots of the world`s seaweed production centers for E. Cottonii seaweed existing along the Equator, particularly in the Coral Triangle area covering ten ASEAN member nations, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Pacific islands.

Of the 11 spots, six are in eastern Indonesia, spread from the straits of Makassar, North Sulawesi-Central Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Maluku to Papua, according to Azis Husain.

The data showed that the eastern Indonesia area (KTI) in the future is very strategic and detrimental in meeting the global increasing seaweed consumption, he said.

Indonesia is the world`s biggest dried seaweed exporter with its annual exports reaching 145,000 tons, or about 50 percent of the tropical world`s total exports of 290,000 tons.

The total dried seaweed exports of tropical countries which is 290,000 tons accounted for 25 percent of the world`s total seaweed exports of 1.2 million tons.

"Beside Indonesia, other tropical countries which export dried seaweed include the Philippines, which contributes 35 percent of the total tropical countries` exports of dried seaweed," chairman of Indonesia`s Seaweed Commission, Farid Ma`aruoef, said last April in Padang, West Sumatra.

On a national scale, Indonesia`s wet seaweed production reaches 1,94 million tons, and only 15 percent of it is processed at home. (ANTARA)