Seaweed exporters given a boost by latest research from Teagasc

SEAWEED exporters have been given a welcome lift by new Teagasc research that confirms that marine plant products extracted from seas around Ireland and Canada are good for the heart.

The joint Irish-Canadian study found that people can gain medical boosts from the heart-health compounds contained in the plants studied, including ACE inhibitors, antioxidants and essential fatty acids (lipids).

This will come as welcome news to those exporting €10 million worth of Irish seaweed annually, as well as under-pinning Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s ambitious plans to double current export levels to €20m by 2013.

As part of a research collaboration with the Memorial University, Newfoundland, Teagasc researchers Michelle Tierney and Maria Hayes developed methods for the isolation of total lipids from a number of seaweed species.

Dr Hayes said: “Sea-weeds are a known source of essential fatty acids, which are thought to reduce thrombosis and atherosclerosis — factors important in the reduction of the risk of heart disease.

“These lipids could potentially be used in food vehicles such as bread and soup-type products in the future.”

In Ireland, approximately 36,000 tonnes of seaweed are harvested annually.

The value-added sector of the seaweed industry in Ireland has emerged to produce attractive, high-quality products for use as functional body care products and cosmetics.

However, there is limited activity aimed at exploiting Irish seaweed resources as materials for functional food ingredients with enhanced health benefits.

The NutraMara Research Programme is currently working at developing the area of marine-origin functional foods in Ireland.

Of the eight Irish and Newfoundland seaweed species used in this study, Ireland’s Pelvetia canalicu-lata, had the highest percentage of total lipids per dry weight, followed by Ascophyllum nodosum.

Further work is under way at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown, concerning the bioactivity profiles and bioactive component isolation of all seaweed lipid extracts.

The marketing oppor-tunity that follows this research will be welcomed by BIM, the Irish Sea Fisheries Board and the Marine Institute, who are jointly working on the project to double Irish seaweed exports.