CyberColloids Ltd, Unit 4A Site 13, Carrigaline Industrial Estate, Carrigaline, County Cork, Ireland. tel: +353-21-4375773 www.cybercolloids.net

TheSeaRefineryProject CyberColloidsJanuary2019

2019

TheSeaweedBiorefinery–forhighvalue-addedproducts• 3yearproject(November2015–October2018)• Budget~2.6millionEuros(~1.4millionEurogranted)• Consortiumof8partnersfromfiveEUcountries,

includingRTDsandSMEsandsupportfrom1largeenterprise

• FundedundertheMarineBiotechnologyEra-Netbyco-fundingagencies:

www.searefinery.eu

Theconsortium

• developanintegratedbiorefineryprocess• usingeco-friendlychemicalandenzymaticstep-wise

extractionandpurificationsteps• toproducehighvalue-addedcomponentsfromcultivated

brownseaweed(Sccaharinalatissima,Alariaesculenta)• includingantioxidants(phlorotannins),hydrocolloids

(alginate),andotherbioactives(laminarin,fucoidanandprotein)

• toevaluatetheseextractedcomponentsforuseinneutraceutical&functionalfoodingredients,cosmetic&medicalproductsandbiobasedmaterials

• demonstratethebiorefineryconceptatpilotscale

Projectaims

Theworkplan

CyberColloids’role

• labscaleextractionprocessesforpolyphenols,fucoidanandlaminarin

• labscaleprocessestoextractalginatefromwholeseaweedbiomassandfromextractionresidues

• labscaleprocessesfortheproductionofalginaterichseaweedfibresfromwholeseaweedbiomassandfromextractionresidues

• seasonalquantificationofalginatecontentinseaweeds• conceptforSeaRefinerymulti-streamextractionprocess• transferanddemonstrationofSeaRefineryatpilotscale

(600kg)

Labscaleextractionprocess

• processbasedonuseoffresh(orfrozen)seaweed• dryingtemperatures>400Cimpactonyieldsandefficacy• mildaqueousextractionprocessesdevelopedfor

polyphenols,laminarinandfucoidan

• NB:polyphenollevelsinkelpspecieslow(<2%inthiscase)

• typicalyieldsforsequentialextractionofIrishSaccharinalatissimagivenbelow(as%dryweightofstartingmaterial)

Starting seaweed 100Laminarin rich 51.6 ± 3.91Fucoidan rich 4.26 ± 0.45

Alginic acid 15.22 ± 2.94Residual insolubles 16.69 ± 1.78Soluble and losses 3.74 ± 1.05

Scaleupto600kgs

Top Driedstartingmaterial

Aqueousextractioninprogress Sampling

Middle

Solidfractionpostdecanting Loadingsolidsintoreactionvessel Aqueousextractioninprogress

Bottom

Liquidextractduringcentrifugation Separatingacidicsolids

Alginicacidrichseaweedfibre

Alginaterichseaweedfibres

• processesdevelopedforalginicacidrichandsodiumalginaterichseaweedfibres

• holisticprocessusingwholeseaweedbiomass• alginatefunctionalitypromotedinsitu–without

extraction• functionalityoffibresassessedvscommercial

comparators

Alginicacidrichfibres

• Waterbindingcapacity(WBC)assessed• fromacommercialperspective,newtextureingredients

withaWBCofgreaterthan10g/gpotentiallyinteresting• WBCofgreaterthan15g/gispreferable• alginicacidrichfibresfromAlariaandSaccharinahadWBC

of13g/gand18g/g,respectively• inrangewithcommerciallyavailablefunctionalisedfibre

products–seebelow• seaweed=redbars

Sodiumalginaterichfibres

• viscosityandgelstrengthassessed• viscosityofseaweedfibreswas656mPa.S(at1%)• typically,commercialalginatesusedinfoodgiveviscosityof

400-600(-1000)mPa.S(at1%)• Gelstrengthisrepresentedbytheforceingthatisrequired

tobreakthegel• thebreakstrengthfortheSaccharina sodiumalginatefibre

was426g• breakstrengthofcommercialcontrolswas314g–823g• Na alginate seaweed fibres have potential to replace Na

alginateona1:1basiswhichiscommerciallyinteresting

Applicationoffibres

• Na alginate seaweed fibres successfully used at 4-6% toproduce edible films – possibility to replaceNa alginate incasings

• Na alginate fibres successfully used as gelling agents inrestructuredvegetableandfishproducts

• seaweedfibresoutperformedtheNaalginatecontrols• Seaweedfibresusedintwodifferentfacemaskformulations

toreduce/replaceNaalginate

Keyoutcomes

• robust processes for lab scale biorefinery of Saccharinalatissima&Alariaesculenta

• multistreamextractionoffucoidan,laminarin&alginate• polyphenollevelstoolowtobeofinterestinthisproject• demonstratedtransferofbiorefinerytopilotscale(600kgs)• development of alginate rich seaweed fibres with

commerciallyinterestingproperties• demonstrated functionality in targeted food and cosmetics

andapplications