NIOZ
NIOZ (the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research) works on multidisciplinary fundamental and frontier marine research, addressing important scientific and societal questions that deal with the functioning of oceans and seas. They focus on two research themes; “the changing ocean system, past, present, future” & “adaptability of marine ecosystems in a changing world”.
For ValgOrize; NIOZ is in charge of Work Package 1 (WP1), which focuses on all the work with macro algae (seaweed). “In this work package, we are looking at seaweed cultivation step by step. We start by looking into what the best conditions in which to grow macro algae are in order to reach the best food parameters. The next step is upscaling; how do we reproduce these optimal growing conditions on a larger scale while still retaining the same reliability? Finally comes processing; the produced seaweed needs to be handled and processed, so we will be trying to find a protocol for general processed macroalgal food.”
Aside from their leading role in WP1, NIOZ is playing a part in Work Package 2 (WP2), which is focused on micro algae. For the micro algae research, they are helping with the characterization of the biological material of micro algae, with the assessment of taste features of the produced algae, and with looking into the sustainability and zero-waste production of these algae.
“We are looking forward to a promising process to optimize the entire seaweed and microalgae food chain!” If you want to know more, you could start by taking a look at our presentation on seaweed’s potential for food and feed.