Seaweed in Food: How to Validate Its Health Benefits?

Numerous studies point to the beneficial properties of seaweed in nutrition as an excellent nutritional supplement. In fact, seaweed-containing food products are already on the market, primarily in Asia. In this regard, in the Western market, the trend towards the use of seaweed to develop functional and healthy food products is a growing trend. Recently, a study was published in the journal Biomedicine & Preventive Nutrition by Syad et al., which examines the nutritional profile of two seaweeds: Gelidilla acerosa (red seaweed) and Sargassum wightii (brown seaweed). The result of this study suggests that both seaweeds have high nutritional value and could be used as excellent nutritional supplements. They have high levels of fiber, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, proline, and chlorophyll, as well as significant amounts of vitamin C.

• Red seaweeds have a high potassium content and are an important source of agar, a hydrophilic colloid used as a gelling agent in sugar confectionery, ice creams, and meat and fish preserves.
• Brown seaweeds have high sodium content and are a source of alginic acid, which has been used as a gelling agent in the food industry.

In both seaweeds, the main fatty acids were found, including linolenic acid, as well as several essential amino acids. Other publications suggest the prebiotic potential of seaweed compounds; seaweed fibers increase populations of bacteria and bifidobacteria, which could be beneficial for human health.

Four global food product launches featuring seaweed

In the Asian market, where seaweed is deeply rooted in the culture, there are numerous products that incorporate this type of seaweed in their composition. In Taiwan, a beverage made with natural seaweed extract and organic loquat aroma has been enriched with seaweed collagen. The addition of seaweed allows this product to be free from colorants and preservatives. In Japan, several seaweed products have been launched on the market:

• Wheat snacks that use Sargassum seaweed in their production. Sold as a product with high calcium, potassium, and magnesium content.
• Dehydrated soups containing chicken, burdock, and Sargassum seaweed, soy sauce, and sesame oil. A low-calorie product targeted at women aged 20 to 30.
• A frozen product consisting of a stir-fry of carrots, burdock, and seaweed.

Trends in Europe

In this regard, in the Western market, the introduction of seaweed in food products and products incorporating active principles of seaweed is attracting the interest of an increasing number of companies, and there is a growing audience receptive to this innovation in food. Therefore, the agri-food industry promotes studies and work related to seaweed, particularly focusing on the study of their beneficial effects on health. Harnessing active principles of seaweed for food purposes requires a complex innovation process that involves different phases: from the bioproduction of the selected seaweed, extraction of its active principles, incorporation into food, and subsequent validation of the required functionality in humans. This functionality validation is demonstrated through clinical trials. This entire innovation process requires costs and resources; therefore, having technicians who allow us to save time, reduce costs, and above all, carefully measure product improvements and their validity before reaching clinical trials is crucial.

In Vitro Digestor enables the validation of the beneficial effects of seaweed

Therefore, and in response to the growing interest of the agri-food industry in studying both the prebiotic and probiotic effects of these bioactive compounds derived from seaweed, ainia has the in vitro dynamic digestor, an artificial digester that simulates the entire human digestion process (including the colon microbiota). This digester, called the In Vitro Colonic Fermentation Digestor, is one of the most significant advances available today and is capable of reproducing the natural conditions of the human gastrointestinal tract (stomach and small intestine) as well as the natural conditions of the large intestine, both in optimal operating conditions in terms of pH, temperature, and simulating the human intestinal microbiota. The in vitro digestion model of the large intestine is of particular importance for evaluating survival during gastrointestinal transit, intestinal colonization of a probiotic through quantification of the number of viable bacteria in the large intestine, as well as the prebiotic effect of certain bioactive compounds such as seaweed.