Whakapapa of superfood seaweed
Agrisea Science bringing palatable delicacy to all
Ma¯ori have always known that seaweed (rimurimu) is a highly nutritious food — and a Paeroa company is bringing a palatable form of the rich kai source to everyone.
Agrisea Science, research and development general manager Clare Bradley has birthed five children while on a diet that included drinking seaweed tonic.
“The fact is, so many people were buying our animal nutrition tonics and drinking it themselves,” she says.
Having produced seaweed-based tonics for cows, bees and microbes in soils for more than 20 years, the company is expanding into seaweed beverages for humans.
The High-value Nutrition National Science Challenge has awarded $48,000 to the family-owned and operated Ma¯ori business to help its research.
An on-site food grade facility at Agrisea’s Business Park in Paeroa enables the development of a seaweed beverage which Bradley says can begin capturing the health benefits of seaweed in a tasty and convenient way.
The species Ecklonia radiata is a focus of the testing but other native New Zealand seaweeds also have potential.
“It’s about finding what’s palatable to western tastes and making it more than just a garnish. It’s used mainly in seaweed salads and sushi rolls here but there’s so much more that can be done.”
Seaweed is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and bioactives that can provide functional health properties for people.
Seaweed has long been used as a food source by Ma¯ori.
Agrisea GM Tane Bradley said protecting the whakapapa of seaweed was part of the research the company would be undertaking.
“It was a source of nutrition particularly in the winter months because of its high protein and used as a stuffing for muttonbirds,” explains Tane. “It was dried and preserved like a biltong, eaten as a sea vegetable and in ceremonies as a tea.
“It’s a huge superfood.”
Tane will be visiting marae to sit
with elders as part of research on how to protect and respect the whakapapa of New Zealand seaweed as part of a project to create a health product using the marine plant.
Whakapapa is the core of traditional ma¯tauranga Ma¯ori (Ma¯ori knowledge), and he said ngaru, the ocean’s waves, are part of seaweed’s genealogy.
“We’ve got to have wave action made for the seaweed to be healthy. Our research from a ma¯ tauranga perspective and the whakapapa of seaweed points to that connectedness.”
The couple say despite huge popularity in China, Japan, and Korea, and its long history of consumption by coastal communities around the world, seaweed has seen a relatively low global uptake into the everyday diet.
“The key outcome of this project is to develop a novel seaweed beverage that is backed by science and
consumers alike,” says Dr Melodie Lindsay, R&D Scientist at Agrisea. “It will bolster confidence in taking the final product to both the domestic and international market and in scaling up production on-site.”
Clare has done taste tests and says different New Zealand seaweeds have different flavours, like all plants. “The ulva (sea lettuce) is a creamy flavour, while some of our brown kelps are beautiful. They have high long-chain sugar content and they’re delicious.”
The research includes verifying food safety and identifying functional ingredients of different brews: “Then we’ll pick a winner that will go through to a tasting panel and we’ll add flavours,” says Clare.
It will include clean label, dairyfree, gluten-free, and vegan properties. The HVN Challenge supports research into the health attributes of New Zealand-produced foods for major export markets. Through its contestable funding it has approved a number of innovative projects.