Europe is on the lookout for options to animal protein consumption: is edible seaweed an possibility? In Denmark, researchers at AlgaeFood, a European interregional mission, are satisfied. Along with classifying it, they act to advertise its use and lift consciousness among the many new generations.
Jamileh Javidpour, a biologist and professor on the College of Southern Denmark, explains that seaweed is taken into account “inexperienced gold” due to its dietary properties, low fats content material and decreased carbon footprint in comparison with fish or beef manufacturing.
“Now’s the proper time” to go for this sort of manufacturing, says Jamileh Javidpour.
In Denmark, entrepreneurs are searching for to advertise its consumption. Mads Hecter, the nation’s largest producer of edible seaweed, operates a nineteen-hectare farm off the coast of Kerteminde. He cultivates two of the mission’s star seaweeds: Palmaria Palmata and Saccharina Latissima are a mainstay of Japanese delicacies. He inserts and attaches the spores on to the ropes to ensure a couple of harvest per yr and is firmly dedicated to sustainability.
Mads explains that his cultivation technique permits the identical plant to be harvested for a number of years.
One other goal of this mission is to lift consciousness about seaweed consumption. Researchers and college students are making a cookbook involving 4 secondary faculties, together with the Langeland boarding college.
Katrine Kaae Hansen, a biologist at Fjord Baelt, a analysis and public data institute related to this mission, offers us an instance of edible seaweed by displaying us a drawing: “That is typically phrases ‘sea bacon’, it additionally incorporates plenty of protein. It may be used as an alternative of bacon. It’s extra sustainable and in addition more healthy. That’s the reason training is so essential: younger individuals are the longer term and they’re future shoppers.”
One of the simplest ways to find a brand new meals and its advantages is to strive it. The notice-raising efforts to introduce this product provided by the ocean into our food plan embody particular workshops. College students and the chef at Langelands Efterskole Excessive Faculty have ready seaweed-based dishes, a primary for Reyhaneh, an Iranian scholar resident on the boarding college. She says the seaweed salad “has a chewy, crunchy texture”.
Two international locations are collaborating in AlgaeFood: Denmark and Germany. This mission has a complete price range of 1.9 million euros, 65% of which comes from the European cohesion coverage.
