Aquapreneur » brown seaweed

Turning algae into energy gets Halifax company on award shortlist

Admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:23:07 +0000

A Halifax biotechnology company is hoping green slime will help its business take flight.

Marine Arctic & Antarctic Technologies Inc. is one of 10 startups that made the shortlist of the Nova Scotia Clean Tech Open, Innovacorp announced Wednesday.

The competition’s goal is to assist a clean technology company in getting established in the province.

Marine Arctic & Antarctic Technologies is developing technology to mass produce micro-algae for use in biofuel and other products.

“It’s like slop,” CEO Mather Carscallen said of the raw material during an interview.

“Some of it smells bad. Some of it doesn’t. It’s pretty much every different smell, shape, colour you could ever imagine.”

The algae would be incubated in a bioreactor that could vary in size and designed to be cost effective, he said.

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Seaweed gel transforms drops into edible beads

Admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:39:47 +0000

A technique for quickly encapsulating a drop of liquid to create an edible bead, developed by Nicholas Bremond and colleagues at the School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry in Paris (ESPCI ParisTech), can package any liquid using a seaweed extract.

Bremond came up with the technique while collaborating with a master chef who wanted to put flavours in small compartments. To create liquid-filled beads, drops are coated with a seaweed solution. Then they’re dropped into a calcium bath containing detergent, which causes the algae to harden and form a shell. Without detergent, the watery coating would still gel, but it would quickly mix with its liquid contents.

Beyond culinary creations, Bremond is using the method to package cancer cells and study them in a 3D environment. The permeable beads prevent cell contamination, while allowing drugs to flow in.

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Godrej Agrovet launches crop nutrient Dripzyme

Admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:31:38 +0000

Godrej Agrovet, a subsidiary of Godrej Industries, has launched a horticulture crop growth-booster nutrient Dripzyme, a seaweed extract-based product formulated for drip irrigation crops.

Dripzyme, the company said, helps in growth of additional branches, flower and fruit buds resulting in higher yield. It helps in creating an extended root system, giving plants greater access to nutrients and water in the soil, thereby enhancing the nutritional value of the yield. It not only improves quality of produce but also aids in saving labour, time and aids in better absorption of nutrients from soil, the company said in a press release.

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Seaweed fiber and weight loss

Admin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:47:25 +0000

A study conducted by researchers at the University Research & Development in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, has revealed that seaweed reduces the appetite and makes one slim. According to the study, adding seaweed extract alginate to a chocolate milkshake reduces hunger among people by nearly 30 per cent. The details of the study have been published in the journal Obesity.

The researchers, for the study recruited a group of 23 healthy volunteers. These volunteers consumed drink containing various levels of alginate in place of a meal. They reported that their levels of hunger reduced and over the next five hours they felt fullness. Moreover, the alginate didn’t alter the flavor of the shake. The participants said that it was just as pleasant as the real thing.

According to the researchers, alginate turns into a gel in the acidic environment of the stomach, and the calcium adds to the gel’s thickness which creates a feeling of fullness, as well as holds food in the stomach for longer.

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Bluewave Marine Ingredients gets GMP for fish protein plant

Admin — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:56:51 +0000

Fish protein producer Bluewave Marine Ingredients has announced its joint venture operation in Ecuador has received GMP certification from SGS.

The recently formed company produces fish protein isolate at half the price of canned or frozen fish methods, and allows for the inclusion of protein in powder form for products including breads, pastas and soups.

“This is an important milestone for the Bluewave Ecuador site – as it assures the world that PerfectDigest Peptides are made according to sanitary requirements for both human and animal consumption applications,” said Mark Rottmann, COO for Bluewave. “We recently passed the 1,000 ton mark in terms of Peptide production, this registration will allow us to further expand into critical export markets.”

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NP Nutra produces new potent brown seaweed extract (Fucoidan P.E. 85 Percent)

Admin — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:51:59 +0000

NP Nutra reports that they have produced a new potent brown seaweed extract called Fucoidan P.E. 85 Percent. Fucoidan (Laminaria japonica) is found primarily in the cell walls of several species of brown seaweed, such as kombu, limu moui, hijiki and bladderwrack. Lending a slippery texture to these sea plants, Fucoidan provides protection for them in even high sunlight and harsh environments.

NP Nutra’s Fucoidan extract is particularly rich in U-fucoidan. “Although many seaweed species contain U-fucoidan, we have produced a very high ratio product of U-fucoidan/total fucoidan,” said Thomas Walton, managing director of NP Nutra.

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Portland, Maine’s Ocean Approved Seaweed Products begins further expansion

Admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:28:55 +0000

Like so many entrepreneurial ventures with food products, Ocean Approved frozen seaweed started with a pot simmering on a kitchen stove. Now, with a $95,000 NOAA Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I Grant and an experimental lease to raise seaweed near Little Chebeague Island, the first lease of its kind in the U.S., the company, which has grown steadily since its inception, is poised to move towards large-scale commercial production of seaweed.

In the first year of business, Tolleff Olson, the company’s founder, did all the work, gathering, processing and marketing. Two years ago, he was joined by business partner Paul Dobbins, who runs the office. According to Dobbins, Olsen is “the visionary” and does everything else. They now have 10 part-time employees.

During the past year, sales have more than doubled. At first, Olsen sold the seaweed products to four Portland stores; that has increased to 17 Whole Foods Markets and 72 specialty and natural foods stores, including two venues in Los Angeles. In June, as a result of contacts made while serving their seaweed at the NOAA Fish Fry for NOAA employees and guests in Washington, D.C., Ocean Approved gained orders from a chain of natural food stores in the D.C. area.

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MDPI Office of the Publisher announces publication of new Marine Drugs issue

Admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:47:33 +0000

MDPI announces publication of the following issue: Mar.
Drugs, Volume 8, Issue 7 (July 2010), Pages 1962-2222 at
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/

Table of Contents:

Jiali Zhang, Wenshui Xia, Ping Liu, Qinyuan Cheng, Talba Tahi, Wenxiu Gu
and Bo Li
Review: Chitosan Modification and Pharmaceutical/Biomedical Applications
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 1962-1987; doi:10.3390/md8071962
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/1962

Feisal Khoushab and Montarop Yamabhai
Review: Chitin Research Revisited
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 1988-2012; doi:10.3390/md8071988
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/1988

Sandra Anne Banack and Paul Alan Cox
Correction: Correction: Banack, S.A. et al. Production of the Neurotoxin
BMAA by a Marine Cyanobacterium. Mar. Drugs 2007, 5, 180–196
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2013; doi:10.3390/md8072013
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2013

Chih-Yang Liu, Tsong-Long Hwang, Mei-Ru Lin, Yung-Husan Chen, Yu-Chia
Chang, Lee-Shing Fang, Wei-Hsien Wang, Yang-Chang Wu and Ping-Jyun Sung
Article: Carijoside A, a Bioactive Sterol Glycoside from an Octocoral
Carijoa sp. (Clavulariidae)
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2014-2020; doi:10.3390/md8072014
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2014

Vítor Ramos and Vítor Vasconcelos
Review: Palytoxin and Analogs: Biological and Ecological Effects
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2021-2037; doi:10.3390/md8072021
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2021

Laurie O’Sullivan, Brian Murphy, Peter McLoughlin, Patrick Duggan,
Peadar G. Lawlor, Helen Hughes and Gillian E. Gardiner
Review: Prebiotics from Marine Macroalgae for Human and Animal Health
Applications
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2038-2064; doi:10.3390/md8072038
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2038

Guoliang Wang, Ge Zhao, Yanbin Feng, Jinsong Xuan, Jianwei Sun, Baotai
Guo, Guoyong Jiang, Manli Weng, Jianting Yao, Bin Wang, Delin Duan and Tao
Liu
Article: Cloning and Comparative Studies of Seaweed Trehalose-6-Phosphate
Synthase Genes
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2065-2079; doi:10.3390/md8072065
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2065

Graziano Guella, Danielle Skropeta, Graziano Di Giuseppe and Fernando Dini
Review: Structures, Biological Activities and Phylogenetic Relationships
of Terpenoids from Marine Ciliates of the Genus Euplotes
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2080-2116; doi:10.3390/md8072080
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2080

Ratih Pangestuti and Se-Kwon Kim
Review: Neuroprotective Properties of Chitosan and Its Derivatives
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2117-2128; doi:10.3390/md8072117
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2117

Scharri J. Ezell, Haibo Li, Hongxia Xu, Xiangrong Zhang, Evrim Gurpinar,
Xu Zhang, Elizabeth R. Rayburn, Charnell I. Sommers, Xinyi Yang,
Sadanandan E. Velu, Wei Wang and Ruiwen Zhang
Article: Preclinical Pharmacology of BA-TPQ, a Novel Synthetic
Iminoquinone Anticancer Agent
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2129-2141; doi:10.3390/md8072129
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2129

Hedi Indra Januar, Ekowati Chasanah, Cherie A. Motti, Dianne M. Tapiolas,
Catherine H. Liptrot and Anthony D. Wright
Article: Cytotoxic Cembranes from Indonesian Specimens of the Soft Coral
Nephthea sp.
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2142-2152; doi:10.3390/md8072142
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2142

Robert J. French, Doju Yoshikami, Michael F. Sheets and Baldomero M.
Olivera
Review: The Tetrodotoxin Receptor of Voltage-Gated Sodium
Channels—Perspectives from Interactions with μ-Conotoxins
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2153-2161; doi:10.3390/md8072153
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2153

Fernando Scala, Ernesto Fattorusso, Marialuisa Menna, Orazio
Taglialatela-Scafati, Michelle Tierney, Marcel Kaiser and Deniz Tasdemir
Article: Bromopyrrole Alkaloids as Lead Compounds against Protozoan
Parasites
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2162-2174; doi:10.3390/md8072162
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2162

Anne-Laure Deniau, Paul Mosset, Frédérique Pédrono, Romain Mitre,
Damien Le Bot and Alain B. Legrand
Review: Multiple Beneficial Health Effects of Natural Alkylglycerols from
Shark Liver Oil
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2175-2184; doi:10.3390/md8072175
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2175

Maria Wiese, Paul M. D’Agostino, Troco K. Mihali, Michelle C. Moffitt
and Brett A. Neilan
Review: Neurotoxic Alkaloids: Saxitoxin and Its Analogs
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2185-2211; doi:10.3390/md8072185
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2185

Liang Guo, Guang Liu, Ruo-Yu Hong and Hong-Zhong Li
Article: Preparation and Characterization of Chitosan Poly(acrylic acid)
Magnetic Microspheres
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(7), 2212-2222; doi:10.3390/md8072212
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/7/2212

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NutritionalFinds to Sell Maritech’s Seaweed Extract Joint Blend in North America

Admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:46:23 +0000

NutritionalFinds.com, a division of Natural Discoveries LLC, announced that they have been granted the exclusive rights to represent Maritech^® Joint Blend bioactive for nutraceutical applications in North America. Maritech^® Joint blend is a proprietary, certified organic combination of 3 unique fucoidans extracted from seaweed which has been clinically proven safe and effective for reducing the symptoms of osteoarthritis. NutritionalFinds will promote Maritech^® as a trademarked raw material for joint health in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Recent human clinical research (Biologics: Targets & Therapy 2010:4 33-44) conducted at Southern Cross University NatMed Research Centre demonstrated that the natural seaweed extract can reduce osteoarthritis symptoms in some patients by up to 52%. Fucoidans are bioactive polysaccharides thought to be responsible for many of the health benefits attributed to brown seaweeds such as wakame.

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Australian Scientists In Swine Flu Breakthrough with Seaweed

Admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:12:43 +0000

In a breakthrough that offers new hope for the containment of influenza outbreaks, an Australian biotechnology company has isolated a natural extract from seaweed which has been shown to inhibit the H1N1 virus.

The extract – known as Maritech® 926 – is a fucoidan compound derived from the Undaria pinnatifida species of seaweed. In vitro tests performed under contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, have shown that Maritech® 926 can inhibit the H1N1 influenza virus at extremely low concentrations.

Developed by biotechnology company Marinova Pty Ltd, Maritech® 926 is a natural polysaccharide which has immediate market potential in nutritional supplements, hand washes and nasal delivery products which target the spread and prevention of viral conditions. Scope also exists for the compound to be included in pharmaceutical and medical device applications. As a result of these findings, Marinova has filed for patent protection over the application of Maritech® 926 and other fucoidan extracts in a range of anti-viral applications.

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