Author: Carrie Cox

Seaweeds, (also known as macroalgae), have great potential to become a nutritious and sustainable source of food and other products. Yet the seaweed farming industry will need a coordinated effort to ensure it can grow rapidly enough to meet consumer demand, contribute to climate change mitigation, and provide economic benefits to coastal communities.

The Algae Biomass Organization is committed to breaking down barriers that are keeping this kind of aquaculture from seeing the rapid expansion that will be needed, and we are coordinating our efforts across the value chain to bring together more voices and resources that can boost seaweed farming. Our most recent collaboration is with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on their project to advance seaweed farming for climate gains. 

WWF views seaweed farming as a crucial component of conservation efforts. Growing seaweed requires no freshwater or land resources, which are already strained by ecosystem degradation and climate change. This advantage is compounded by the carbon sequestration potential of commercial seaweed farming, as well as an ability to mitigate ocean acidification that is attracting attention worldwide.

Research is ongoing in all these areas to refine the approaches that will work best at larger commercial scales while having the lowest environmental impact. Meanwhile, the seaweed industry is already attracting more investment from those that are committed to expanding a resource that can reliably provide several useful products and services, including food ingredients for humans, protein extracts, animal feed products, packaging and other materials.

Moreover, WWF’s team recognizes that sustainably expanding the seaweed industry can create new sources of income for coastal and fishing communities that are already seeing diminished catches because of overfishing and other ecosystem pressures.

As the seaweed farming sector gains more investment, learns new methods, and attracts the interest of communities across the world, collaboration between groups like WWF and ABO can accelerate a responsible growth trajectory that ensures this industry’s place in the economy of the future. We are excited to bring the expertise of these two organizations together. ABO and WWF are holding a session on industry needs for the analysis of seaweed biomass during the upcoming ABO Summit. 

Learn more about WWF’s aquaculture program here: https://thefishsite.com/articles/restorative-aquaculture-how-wwf-is-charting-a-path-for-global-seaweed-growth  

ABO’s partnership with WWF is part of an expanding collaboration at the algae industry’s trade organization. We also recently announced a partnership with Seaweed Hub, and welcomed new members such as GreenWave, Blue Evolution and Seagrove Kelp. 

Ready to get involved in the seaweed farming revolution? Reach out to us!

By Lieve Laurens

The second annual Technical Standards Focus Group convened in early June 2021 to revisit some of the technical considerations and priorities for guidance development that were highlighted after the inaugural working group meeting in March 2020; nutritional information and biomass composition; identification methodology and genetic analyses; safety and presence of toxins and toxic metals; and finally, labeling and reporting requirements.¹

The meetings were attended by about 30 participants, including representatives from the National institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AFFCO), The Department of Energy ARPA-e office, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), algae producers and consumers, and a number of commercial analytical laboratories, including Eurofins, Celignis, Exact Scientific.

The major topics covered represented identified priorities from several surveys and in-person interactions. There is consensus that most regulating standards that currently exist are not specific to algae, though still often used for algae applications, characterization and reporting. This lack of specificity has led to confusion around best practices. Guidance around testing methods and prioritization of analyses is often not available in existing regulations. The goal of the 2021 working group discussion was focused on an actionable strategy that would address some of the primary issues identified in 2020, as well as expand the group and the discussion to be inclusive of macroalgae, presenting related but unique challenges in terms of characterization strategies.

Perhaps the biggest identified priority from the working group meeting is the need for establishment of definitions for each of the constituents, which would lead to at least a basis of a common language establishment that can then be followed with matching of existing standard methods. Furthermore, setting targets around the identification of toxins for specific biomass sources and matrices was listed as another of the major priority gaps.

A second recurring theme in the discussion forum was the urgent need for a standard reference material (SRM), representative of multiple different biomass and material matrices currently or imminently commercialized. The group recognized that several SRMs are already available through central distribution mechanisms or partners (e.g. NIST) but not necessarily tailored to represent specific constituents or the commercialization sector, or characterized across a nationwide network through the utilization of a ring test for specific applications.

The main challenge identified is now associated with building reporting consensus standards that are representative of the widely different sectors and applications pursued by the emerging and established commercial algae producers and consumers. An example of an industry sector that is ready to welcome algae, is the feed ingredients producers and formulators. Representation from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) was well-received at the meeting, bringing background and experience on a proficiency testing program that can be expanded and ultimately support both the familiarization of feed laboratories and formulators with algal biomass, but also support the developing of a testing method alignment strategy and collaboration among a large number of testing laboratories. This is the kind of approach that is necessary to help drive the adoption and growth of an algae-based ingredients industry and the group is looking forward to collecting and disseminating input from all corners of this emerging field.

For further information and to participate in the future direction of the Technical Standards Working Group, please reach out to: TechStandards@algaebiomass.org.

This month ABO welcomes Arizona Algae Products, a company producing sustainable protein powders and omega-3 oils from algae for use in food, dietary supplements and wellness products, as one of our newest Bronze-level members. The Bronze-level ABO membership was designed for startups with potential to make big impacts in the industry, and Arizona Algae fits that description perfectly. 

Arizona Algae’s technology is centered around cutting-edge bioreactors and enclosed raceway ponds that grow natural, photosynthetic algae that are processed into a variety of non-GMO, non-allergenic products. The controlled environment means Arizona Algae’s products can be very consistent and meet the highest quality standards for the most discerning applications. 

The company is currently growing and harvesting algae in greenhouses with a production area of over 60,000 square feet, high atop the Colorado Plateau near Holbrook, Arizona. All growing operations take place under USDA-GAP (“Good Agricultural Practices”) and all downstream processing conforms to cGMP standards. 

The company’s location may seem remote, but it illustrates the great potential of algae cultivation, and the jobs that can come with it, to thrive in places where traditional agriculture would not. At 5,500 feet of elevation, little rain, and brackish groundwater the site is fairly inhospitable for growing traditional crops, but those are perfect conditions for Arizona Algae’s photobioreactors and saltwater-loving strains of algae.

Some of the company’s products include: 

• EPA15+ Algal Oil Extract, a full-spectrum, food-grade oil extract.
• DEPRO50+ Defatted Algae Protein plus Omega 3 Powder, an excellent source of non-animal protein, containing a minimum of 50% protein with a complete amino-acid profile, carotenoids, and residual levels of omega 3 EPA.
• WPRO30+ Whole Algae Protein plus Omega 3 Powder, also an excellent source of non animal protein, containing all essential amino acids plus EPA omega 3.

These products have a number of specialty applications in multi-billion dollar markets, but they also have everyday uses. The company’s website includes recipes for algae bread, noodles, crackers and gyoza.   

Sustainability is one of the defining characteristics of the Arizona Algae process, and the company’s overarching mission to its customers and partners. The company incorporates environmental stewardship into its own operations, in addition to providing a line of ingredients that can help improve the sustainability profiles of their customer’s own supply chains. 

Learn more at https://www.azalgae.com 

Welcome Arizona Algae!