Iodine content in bulk biomass of wild-harvested and cultivated edible seaweeds: Inherent variations determine species-specific daily allowable consumption

This study represents a large-scale investigation into iodine contents in three commercially important and edible seaweed species from the North Atlantic: the brown algae Saccharina latissima and Alaria esculenta, and the red alga Palmaria palmata. Variability among and within species were explored in terms of temporal and spatial variations in addition to biomass source. Mean iodine concentration in bulk seaweed biomass was speciesspecific: Saccharina > Alaria > Palmaria. Iodine contents of Saccharina biomass were similar between years and seasons, but varied significantly between sampling locations and biomass sources. In Alaria and Palmaria, none of the independent variables examined contributed significantly to the small variations observed. Our data suggest that all three species are rich sources of iodine, and only 32, 283, or 2149 mg dry weight of unprocessed dry biomass of Saccharina, Alaria, or Palmaria, respectively, meets the recommended daily intake levels for most healthy humans.publishedVersio

Polar lipid profile of Saccharina latissima, a functional food from the sea

Increasing global demand for food has generated a need for new strategies to feed a fast-growing population. Oceans appear as a sustainable solution, providing alternative sources of food such as macroalgae. These sea vegetables have high nutritional value and provide functional and health benefits. The sugar kelp Saccharina latissima is an emerging edible seaweed used mainly for human consumption. Although much is known about its biochemical compositions its lipidome remains unexplored. The aim of the present study was to characterize the polar lipid profile of S. latissima using a lipidomic-mass spectrometry HILIC-LC-MS based analysis. This approach allowed the identification of 197 molecular species of polar lipids, including glycolipids, phospholipids and betaine lipids. Several molecular species identified are carriers of polyunsaturated fatty acids with nutritional value and have been reported with anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-proliferative activity. Saccharina latissima is an emerging candidate to promote blue biotechnology inspired by the ocean.publishe

NordAqua, a Nordic Center of Excellence to develop an algae-based photosynthetic production platform

NordAqua is a multidisciplinary Nordic Center of Excellence funded by NordForsk Bioeconomy program (2017-2022). The research center promotes Blue Bioeconomy and endeavours to reform the use of natural resources in a environmentally sustainable way. In this short communication, we summarize particular outcomes of the consortium. The key research progress of NordAqua includes (1) improving of photosynthetisis, (2) developing novel photosynthetic cell factories that function in a "solar-driven direct CO2 capture to target bioproducts" mode, (3) promoting the diversity of Nordic cyanobacteria and algae as an abundant and resilient alternative for less sustainable forest biomass and for innovative production of biochemicals, and (4) improving the bio-based wastewater purification and nutrient recycling technologies to provide new tools for integrative circular economy platforms.Peer reviewe

The Unique Lipidomic Signatures of Saccharina latissima Can Be Used to Pinpoint Their Geographic Origin

The aquaculture of macroalgae for human consumption and other high-end applications is experiencing unprecedented development in European countries, with the brown algae Saccharina latissima being the flag species. However, environmental conditions in open sea culture sites are often unique, which may impact the biochemical composition of cultured macroalgae. The present study compared the elemental compositions (CHNS), fatty acid profiles, and lipidomes of S. latissima originating from three distinct locations (France, Norway, and the United Kingdom). Significant differences were found in the elemental composition, with Norwegian samples displaying twice the lipid content of the others, and significantly less protein (2.6%, while French and UK samples contained 6.3% and 9.1%, respectively). The fatty acid profiles also differed considerably, with UK samples displaying a lower content of n-3 fatty acids (21.6%), resulting in a higher n-6/n-3 ratio. Regarding the lipidomic profile, samples from France were enriched in lyso lipids, while those from Norway displayed a particular signature of phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylcholine. Samples from the UK featured higher levels of phosphatidylethanolamine and, in general, a lower content of galactolipids. These differences highlight the influence of site-specific environmental conditions in the shaping of macroalgae biochemical phenotypes and nutritional value. It is also important to highlight that differences recorded in the lipidome of S. latissima make it possible to pinpoint specific lipid species that are likely to represent origin biomarkers. This finding is relevant for future applications in the field of geographic origin traceability and food controlpublishedVersio

NordAqua, a Nordic Center of Excellence to develop an algae-based photosynthetic production platform

NordAqua is a multidisciplinary Nordic Center of Excellence funded by NordForsk Bioeconomy program (2017-2022). The research center promotes Blue Bioeconomy and endeavours to reform the use of natural resources in a environmentally sustainable way. In this short communication, we summarize particular outcomes of the consortium. The key research progress of NordAqua includes (1) improving of photosynthetisis, (2) developing novel photosynthetic cell factories that function in a "solar-driven direct CO2 capture to target bioproducts" mode, (3) promoting the diversity of Nordic cyanobacteria and algae as an abundant and resilient alternative for less sustainable forest biomass and for innovative production of biochemicals, and (4) improving the bio-based wastewater purification and nutrient recycling technologies to provide new tools for integrative circular economy platforms.</p

Managing the microbial community of marine fish larvae: a holistic perspective for larviculture

The availability of high-quality juveniles is a bottleneck in the farming of many marine fish species. Detrimental larvae-microbe interactions are a main reason for poor viability and quality in larval rearing. In this review, we explore the microbial community of fish larvae from an ecological and eco-physiological perspective, with the aim to develop the knowledge basis for microbial management. The larvae are exposed to a huge number of microbes from external and internal sources in intensive aquaculture, but their relative importance depend on the rearing technology used (especially flow-through vs. recirculating systems) and the retention time of the water in the fish tanks. Generally, focus has been on microbes entering the system, but microbes from growth within the system is normally a substantial part of the microbes encountered by larvae. Culture independent methods have revealed an unexpected high richness of bacterial species associated with larvae, with 100–250 operational taxonomic units associated with one individual. The microbiota of larvae changes rapidly until metamorphosis, most likely due to changes in the selection pressure in the digestive tract caused by changes in host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions. Even though the microbiota of larvae is distinctly different from the microbiota of the water and the live food, the microbiota of the water strongly affects the microbiota of the larvae. We are in the early phase of understanding larvae-microbe interactions in vivo, but some studies with other animals than fish emphasize that we so far have underestimated the complexity of these interactions. We present examples demonstrating the diversity of these interactions. A large variety of microbial management methods exist, focusing on non-selective reduction of microbes, selective enhancement of microbes, and on improvement of the resistance of larvae against microbes. However, relatively few methods have been studied extensively. We believe that there is a lot to gain by increasing the diversity of approaches for microbial management. As many microbial management methods are perturbations of the microbial community, we argue that ecological theory is needed to foresee and test for longer term consequences in microbe-microbe and microbe-larvae interactions. We finally make some recommendations for future research and development

Potensialet for storskala dyrking av makroalger i Møre og Romsdal

Rapporten er en utredning om potensialet for storskala dyrking av makroalger i Møre og Romsdal fylke. Dyrking av makroalger både innenfor og utenfor grunnlinjen blir vurdert. Hoveddelen av de nye forsk­ningsresultatene er basert på simuleringer med en koblet fysisk-biologisk havmodell.Hoveresultatene og -konklusjonene blir gjennmogått i et utvidet sammendragpublishedVersio

Tilrettelegging for dyrking av butare i Trøndelag.

Butare Alaria esculenta er en av de store tareartene som vokser langs Trøndelagskysten og som er attraktiv å begynne å dyrke med tanke på anvendelse til flere ulike produkter. Den vokser raskt, produserer mye biomasse og har et høyt proteininnhold som gjør den interessant for bruk i mat og for. Flere bedrifter i Trøndelag er nå interessert i at det startes opp dyrking av butare, men foreløpig har de ikke den kompetansen og den infrastrukturen som trengs for a gjøre det selv. I dette VRl-prosjektet har forskere fra SINTEF samarbeidet med trønderske bedrifter om å etablere gametofyttkulturer ("startkulturer") av trøndersk butare, noe som er en forutsetning for industriell dyrking i denne regionen. Bedriftene har deltatt gjennom å skaffe stamplanter og ved å delta på et kurs om dyrking av butare og sukkertare generelt og kimplanteproduksjon spesielt. Kurset ble holdt på Norsk senter for tang- og tareteknologi (NSTTT) og hadde både en teoretisk og en praktisk del. Prosjektet har også hatt formidling som ett mål og arrangerte derfor et temamøte om taredyrking for et bredt publikum i Trondheim.VRI TrøndelagpublishedVersio

Potensialet for dyrking av makroalger i Trøndelag

Rapporten er en utredning om potensialet for storskala dyrking av makroalger i Trøndelag. Dyrking av makroalger både innenfor og utenfor grunnlinjen blir vurdert. De nye forskningsresultatene er basert på simuleringer med en koblet fysisk-biologisk havmodell og på dybdeintervjuer med representanter fra makroalgenæringen i Trøndelag. Hovedresultatene og -konklusjonene blir gjennomgått i et utvidet sam­mendrag. Resultatene vil kunne være nyttige i arbeid med areal - og forvaltningsplaner og for marin næ­ringsutvikling i Trøndelag. De vil også være relevante og interessante for eksisterende og fremtidige aktører innen makroalgenæringen.Trøndelag fylkeskommunepublishedVersio