A wide range of sweet and savory dishes based on marine macroalgae from the Portuguese coast is the proposal of the MENU project.
Coordinated by researcher Ana Marta Gonçalves, from the Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences (MARE) of the University of Coimbra (UC), this innovative project focuses on the development of alternative pre-cooked meals, with high nutritional value and quick preparation , offering consumers a rich and healthy diet. The first products could be on the market within a year.
The great innovation of “MENU: Marine Macroalgae: alternative recipes for a daily nutritional diet” is in the complete use of marine macroalgae and not just extracts or compounds, as happens in several industries. The objective is to take advantage of all the properties of these sea vegetables, known, for example, for their antiviral, antibacterial, antidiabetic, antioxidant and anticancer properties, among others.
«Knowing the high nutritional value and bioactivities of macroalgae, which have many benefits for human health, our bet is to use the algae as a whole so that our products have all the bioproperties, thus ensuring the beneficial effects for the consumer», says Ana Marta Gonçalves, coordinator of the project.
The partners of MENU, which started in 2019, are the University of Aveiro (UA), Startup Lusalgae, specialized in marine biotechnology, and Ernesto Morgado, SA, the oldest rice industry in Portugal.
Various recipes have already been developed, such as seaweed rice, seaweed chicken, additional soups and sauces; and, in the sweets, raspberry and strawberry gelatins, puddings of various flavors, including almond, vanilla, chocolate and coconut, jams and rice pudding. Other products are under development, such as mousses.
«We intend to offer a diversified menu that meets the different interests of consumers. We have developed several recipes with different macroalgae», explains the researcher from MARE, from the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), adding that, in parallel, they are also developing natural films based on macroalgae with the aim of «increasing shelf life in supermarkets for foods such as meat, fish and fruit, which can be consumed directly with the product they are covering».
To understand consumer acceptance, the team has already carried out some tasting workshops, involving people of various age groups, from 17 to 77 years old.
Participants “liked it a lot, showing interest, especially with regard to the health benefits, and highlighted the pleasant taste and texture. Based on the questionnaires applied after the tests, the interest in acquiring these products when they reach the market was verified. Consumers are increasingly concerned about their health and well-being», says Ana Marta Gonçalves.
This project, which is financed by the Blue Fund – a financial incentive mechanism of the Directorate-General for Maritime Policy aimed at supporting scientific research – also aims to respond to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN Agenda 2030, contributing for the production and consumption of sustainable products and improved nutrition.
MENU responds to yet another of the SDGs, the conservation and sustainability of the oceans and marine resources.
Therefore, explains the MARE researcher, «we collect samples of pre-selected edible macroalgae species at sea (brown, green and red), which are grown in the laboratory and then transferred to aquaculture tanks until obtaining the necessary biomass to the preparation of food. These are sustainable methods, we can produce marine macroalgae on a large scale without harming the environment».
During the entire process, that is, from collection at sea to the final product, he concludes, «we continuously assess the nutritional value of macroalgae to make sure that there is no loss or reduction of this nutritional value, guaranteeing all the benefits for the consumer. It is a highly controlled process».
In addition to the partnership with the rice production company, the team, consisting of 16 researchers, has also established agreements with other companies, in order to place this new generation of marine macroalgae-based products on the market, which may happen within a year.
Author: Cristina Pinto – Press Office – University of Coimbra – Science Communication
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