Seaweed as a future food : a nutritional perspective with focus on seaweed aquaculture in Scandinavia

Abstract: Edible seaweeds or macroalgae have been a staple food for many centuries in parts of East Asia and have recently started to gain attraction in Europe. Seaweed aquaculture is a well-established food production system in many East Asian countries but has only recently started in Scandinavia. In recent years there has been a growing seaweed cultivation industry in Norway and Denmark but less so in Sweden. The most cultivated species of seaweed in Scandinavia is sugar kelp, Saccharina latissima, followed by winged kelp, Alaria esculenta, both species are from the division of brown macroalgae. Previous studies on edible seaweeds and seaweed aquaculture have shown beneficial health effects from consumption and positive ecological impact on marine flora and fauna near cultivation sites. Though, many of these aspects are not yet fully understood due to absence of proper assessment in science literature. There is much do be done about legislation, permits, and food safety regulations regarding seaweed production both on European Union and member state level. Many edible seaweed species have high levels of sought-after nutrients and minerals. Some nutrients have less biological value due to their indigestibility, but there are promising food processing methods and techniques emerging. There is a concern regarding certain trace elements and toxic compounds that can be found in variable amounts in different seaweed species. Seaweed is an extracting organism that can assimilate certain nutrients that cause eutrophication. Therefore, seaweed aquaculture could be a way of decreasing anthropogenic emissions from other aquaculture systems by merging them together, thereby creating integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA). There is an already established food market for seaweed-based products in parts of Europe that could be supplied with regional cultivated seaweed. Seaweed could soon become a staple food in Scandinavia.