The project will aim to evaluate how the inclusion of this additive specifically influences the fatty acid composition of the resultant meat products.
Project Dates: June 22, 2020 – June 21, 2021
Funding Amount: $25,000
Students Hired: 2
Project Summary
North Island College chemistry instructor, Dr. Spencer Serin, has partnered with a local farming company to research the effects of adding seaweed to cattle feed.
Beaver Meadow Farms, an organic cattle farm located on northern Vancouver Island, will work with Dr. Serin to assess the overall health benefits of meat products. Beaver Meadow Farms has been harvesting stormcast Mazzaella japonica for the past five years and has been using the macroalgae as a feed additive for their cattle. Dr. Serin will research how the invasive red seaweed Mazzaella japonica may influence the fatty acid composition of the resultant meat products.
The project will involve NIC laboratory facilities and student researchers. Technical skills learned by NIC students will be directly transferable to the Canadian beef and dairy sectors.
Research Team
Dr. Spencer Serin
Research Associate
Lucas Evans
NIC Senior Lab Technician
Mary Rickinson
Student
Angela Mitchell
Student
Partners
Beaver Meadows Farm
News Stories and Coverage
- Comox Valley Record: NIC researching benefits of seaweed in cattle diet
- Campbell River Mirror: Seaweed as food?
- Vancouver Island Free Daily: Seaweed as cow food?
- CBC: Vancouver Island researchers investigate whether seaweed-eating cows good for people, planet
- National Observer: Is Canadian seaweed the secret to taming belchy cows and tackling climate change?