- Tytuł:
- Guide to macroalgae cultivation and use in the Baltic Sea Region
- Autorzy:
-
Kulikowski, Tomasz
Jakubowska, Magdalena
Krupska, Joanna
Psuty, Iwona
Szulecka, Olga - Powiązania:
- https://bibliotekanauki.pl/books/2118816.pdf
- Data publikacji:
- 2021
- Wydawca:
- Morski Instytut Rybacki - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy
- Opis:
- Asian countries produce the majority of the macroalgae biomass and also cultivate the greatest diversity of seaweed species. Although more than 200 species of macroalgae are exploited commercially, five genera represent approximately 98% of the world seaweed production. Macroalgae are commercially processed mainly for food products and production of hydrocolloids. However, due to the presence of various valuable compounds, which are suitable for e.g. pharmaceutical, biomedical or cosmetic industry, more and more new products are available on the market and additional ones are in the research phase. In 2005-2015, the global production of seaweed doubled, but in 2016-2018 the dynamics of the development of seaweed production decreased significantly. The vast majority of production is made in Asia. Europe accounts for less than 0.1% of the world’s seaweed cultivation. In the Baltic Sea Region, apart from the western waters on the border of the North Sea, only a few experimental farms are conducted. On a small commercial scale, the wild seaweed in the Baltic Sea is fished only in Estonia and Denmark (1.2.) There is little documented evidence of seaweed consumption prior to the 20th century in the Baltic Sea Region. In the 20th century, consumption of seaweed spread to the Eastern Baltic Sea, along with the Soviet cuisine, into which seaweed was introduced by the Korean diaspora. In the last 3 decades, there has been a sharp increase in interest in seaweed throughout the Baltic Sea Region, due to the growing popularity of Far Eastern cuisine, mainly Japanese (sushi). Currently, seaweed products are appearing more and more often on the market of the Baltic Sea Region - not only in Far East gastronomy, but also in the retail market (retail chains, specialist health food stores, less often - fish stores) - in the form of salads (loose and packed, in different flavors), dried products (including various snacks), as well as a number of innovative multi-ingredient products. There is also a wide availability of dietary supplements based on seaweed. Seaweed products are quite commonly known to consumers in the Baltic Sea Region - due to studies conducted during GRASS project, 26% of consumers in the Baltic Sea Region have already eaten seaweed, but only as an ingredient of sushi, while nearly every fourth (23%) consumer has already tried seaweed also in other forms (e.g. salads, soups, snacks). As many as 34% of consumers declare that they “could try to eat” seaweed food products. Over 30% of consumers in the region believe that seaweed is food with particularly high pro-health values. Combining this data with the great interest of consumers in the region in products with guaranteed local (regional) origin, it must be determined that seaweed food products have great market potential. Algae can constitute new sources of functional compounds for food chain but also could be useful in various industries, as valuable raw material for: • cosmetics and cosmetology industry, • medical and pharmaceutical industry, • agriculture (fertilizers, bio-stimulants), • biofuel production, • many other industrial applications. Seaweed is a raw material that, due to its numerous properties, is very versatile. Thanks to its high nutritional value (a rich source of proteins, essential amino acids and vitamins necessary for the proper functioning of the body), algae are widely used in food production. A diet rich in algae meets the needs for protein, essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins. As they are a source of elements, e.g. fiber, magnesium, zinc, calcium, potassium, iron, fluorine, phosphorus and copper, as well as folic acid and omega 3 acid, vitamins A, B, C, D, E are more and more commonly used in supplements (supplements with algae are recommended for various dysfunctions, e.g. an ingredient supporting slimming) and functional food. Algae, rich in elements, are eagerly used in the production of cosmetics, because they stimulate the reconstruction and protection of the epidermis, soothe irritations, and also have anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties. They have a cleansing, moisturizing and soothing effect, making them suitable for the care of dehydrated, acne and hypersensitive skin. In the cosmetics industry, they are also used in the production of preparations that accelerate skin healing, regenerate and rejuvenate. Algae is also used in pharmacy and laboratories, and for the production of biomaterials. Due to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer and antioxidant properties, algae can be used in the treatment of many diseases in the world, because there is a growing interest in natural pharmaceuticals, which are perceived as safer for humans. Algae as a renewable energy source, also represent a huge potential in the production of biofuels, and the rapidly advancing technology development makes them increasingly used in other technical and industrial products. As macroalgae uptake naturally occurring nutrients, their cultivation sites may also provide environmental services - they can be used as a tool to combat eutrophication. The biogen content and the rate of their uptake vary between the macroalgae species and populations and depend on environmental conditions. Generally, growth rates and the nutrient uptake rates are higher in fast growing green macroalgae than slow-growing species like many red and brown seaweed. Based on the calculations, it is possible to remove 1.3-7.9 kg of nitrogen and 0.2-1.9 kg of phosphorus while harvesting 1 ton of Baltic macroalgae, depending on the species. The macroalgae species that, according to their properties, content of valuable substances or abundance can be considered suitable for cultivation in the Baltic Proper and adjacent basins are: (1) red alga Furcellaria lumbricalis - the only species that was harvested on a commercial scale in the Baltic Sea to obtain polysaccharide furcellaran (gelling agent); (2) red alga Ceramium tenuicorne - this small, filamentous species contain many bioactive substances, can be utilised to produce agar and is rich in red pigment phycoerythrin; (3) brown alga Fucus vesiculosus that has been used as food and medicine for centuries is commercially harvested in few countries outside the BSR to obtain its structural polysaccharide fucoidan and can be also used as a source of alginic acid; (4) Ulva intestinalis - green alga that is very abundant on rocky bottoms along the Baltic coasts is suitable for human consumption and cultivated in Japan. For the Western Baltic/ Sweden, characterised with higher salinity, two Laminariales species are suitable for cultivation - Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima and they are/ can be utilised as high value food products or in alginate industry. It should be emphasised that there are few different legal barriers but also opportunities for the cultivation and harvesting of macroalgae. The legal aspects can be divided to: (1) spatial conflicts and synergies with other users and maritime sectors resulting from Maritime Spatial Plans for BSR countries; (2) legal regulations directly related to the cultivation of marine organisms and resulting from the environmental law, usually connected to the necessity of obtaining few permissions from the relevant authorities; and (3) the regulations related to the usage of macroalgae as food and feed ingredients, connected mainly to the limits of harmful substances, food labeling and the introduction of novel species into the market. As Sacchcarina latissima and Laminaria digitata are experimentally and commercially cultivated in Sweden and Denmark, the cultivation techniques, based mainly on the long-line technology, dedicated for these species exist and are well described in the literature. The experience in cultivation of macroalgae in the Baltic Proper and adjacent basins is limited to few experimental initiatives. Based on the findings from these initiatives and on the scientific literature, we assumed that sufficient knowledge exists to plan at least experimental farms of Fucus vesiculosus and Ulva intestinalis in the Baltic Sea. Based on the results from FucoSan project, we propose fucus farms which rely on vegetative fragments of thalli as a ‘seeding’ material, placed in the experimental infrastructure consisting of floating baskets and cultivated throughout the year. For Ulva intestinalis we suggest the farm based on the long-line technique - using lines with planted spores, suspended shallow below the water’s surface and located in the shallow coastal zone, most preferably in areas characterised with high nutrient concentration. Due to seasonality, it is possible to cultivate U. intestinalis 5-6 months per year. Preliminary calculations show that the production of macroalgae in the south-east of the Baltic Sea: Poland, Latvia, Estonia is quite cost-intensive. Depending on the adopted input parameters, the production cost of 1 kg of fresh Ulva varies from 0.23 €/kg, with the optimistic assumption of efficiency of 87t/ha, up to 1.0 €/kg, assuming the pessimistic version of the yield of 9.8t / ha. The estimated unit cost of producing 1 kg of fresh Fucus is ca 2.34 €/kg. Starting the cultivation of seaweed in the Baltic Sea Region, from the market point of view, would be a response to the growing consumer demand for new, pro-health products of aquatic origin, also in line with the trend of reduced demand for animal products. Production in the Region would make it possible to offer a local, ultra-fresh product. From a socio-economic point of view, local cultivation of seaweed would contribute to increasing added value in the Region (replacing imported products), promoting employment (including people leaving sea fishing) and better utilizing the potential of fish processing plants. From an environmental point of view, the cultivation of seaweed, especially fast-growing seaweed (like U. intestinalis), offers a unique opportunity to reduce water eutrophication while accumulating CO2. The main problems and threats to the start of macroalgae cultivation in the main part of the Baltic Sea (except its western part) are: the inability to estimate the market absorption capacity for new species, practically absent in the food market of the Region (such as U. intestinalis); lack of proven in practice technologies for the cultivation of U. intestinalis and F. vesiculosus in Baltic conditions; legal and legislative barriers - especially for first market entrants; finally - the lack of public funding for the water-environmental services that will be provided by seaweed farms. The following report synthetically collects the available knowledge about the production possibilities and the seaweed market in the Baltic Sea Region and was carried out as part of the GRASS project - Growing Algae Sustainably in the Baltic Sea.
- Dostawca treści:
- Biblioteka Nauki
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