Seaweed Could be the Answer to Creating Sustainable Fish-Free Seafood

EAT

Jun 30

Scientists are teaming up with chefs at a Michelin-starred restaurant to develop a new seafood substitute by fermenting seaweed on fungi.

Credit: Søren Gammelmark/@gammelmarkphoto

Scientists, chefs, and investors are turning to plant-based sources of protein in the race to find a solution that meets the world’s appetite for meaty products while removing a major source of environmental devastation: animal agriculture.

From Impossible meatballs to fungi-based burgers, the market for alternative meats continues to grow, and it seems Americans are getting on board. Plant-based meat found its way into 19 percent of United States households in 2021, with consumers spending more than $1.4 billion on the animal-free fare, according to the Good Food Institute (GFI).

Around 55 percent of the ocean is covered by commercial fishing, with an estimated 2.7 trillion wild fish slaughtered annually. This industry is polluting the oceans, threatening delicate ecosystems, and plundering the homes of aquatic animals. Demand for seafood is expected to double by 2050, and so innovators are striving to find a sustainable solution to keep up with the growing demand.

Although a new wave of plant-based alternatives from fishless goujons to vegan shrimp has been hitting the shelves, the market remains relatively untapped. According to GFI, consumers look for flavor and texture as key factors in trying seafood alternatives, but perfecting the fibrous texture of seafood has proven difficult.

Now, scientists in Copenhagen are collaborating with chefs at the two Michelin-starred restaurant, Alchemist, to develop a new seafood substitute by fermenting seaweed on fungi.

“We scientists are not good at understanding how to make things delicious, and this decides whether people will eat them. There’s a lot we can learn from each other. [Working with chefs] is slowly emerging, but it hasn’t happened so far to the extent that would be needed to end up with products that are really good,” said Dr. Leonie Jahn, the microbiologist leading the project.

The team is experimenting with growing filamentous fungi, microorganisms found in soil that form a mass of intertwining strands, on seaweed, to develop a product that uses natural ingredients, provides flavors of the sea, and has that all-important soft yet chewy texture. The initiative is funded by GFI to develop an innovative method of making sustainable foods using fermentation.

“I will be fascinated to see the outcome of Dr. Jahn’s research. Seafood is an area where we urgently need to see innovation, and there are huge opportunities for companies and governments to invest in further research to develop plant-based and cultivated seafood that can help meet growing demand in a sustainable way,” said Seren Kell, science and technology manager at the Good Food Institute Europe.

The scientists are aiming to identify how different conditions change the texture of the fungi to create scaffolds (to give structure to cultivated meat products), as well as entirely new plant-based products, which deliver the distinct taste and feel of their animal-based counterparts.

Eventually, the team will develop a “whole-cut” product by harnessing the technological power of fermentation and working with the Alchemist team to recreate the flavor of seafood.

Rasmus Munk, the head chef and co-owner of Alchemist, told The Guardian that the restaurant wanted to “change people’s perception of ‘new foods’”. Creating seafood alternatives was important, he said, because “frankly I haven’t found anything on the market right now that I would put on the menu”.

“The ultimate goal is to create a product that is so delicious in its own right, that it is chosen over other foods on the sole criterion of tastiness,” he added.

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