Seaweed, a superfood for a growing population- improving the bioavailability of healthy ingredients

This project will develop and optimize selected processing and preservation techniques for seaweed to retain the bioactive compounds and improve their bioavailability in the human body.
Briefly, we will investigate into the health-benefitting bioactive compounds in seaweed, and follow these compounds during commonly used industrial processing steps as well as in the gastrointestinal tract after consumption. We will also look at the critical compounds that is a bottleneck for seaweed market at present.
This will be evaluated in a risk-benefit analysis considering the legislation and nutritional recommendations.
The results will be available for consumers and national food authorities in Scandinavia and the US.
Seaweed from Maine, US, Sweden and Denmark will be studied.
The project is supported by the private Swedish foundation: Ekhagastiftelsen

Seaweed is being sold as a superfood in the western world. Seaweed has numerous health benefits, but are these retained in the processed product and/or bioavailable for the consumer?