CARTI is working with Cascadia Seaweed Corp, the largest seaweed aquaculture company in BC, to process raw seaweed into shelf-stable products.

Project Dates: Oct 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021

Funding Amount: $31,000

Students Hired: 1

 

Project Summary

NIC researchers processed raw, frozen kelp from Cascadia Seaweed Corp. to develop shelf-stable seaweed products. The researchers also mapped the processing value stream from the time the seaweed is landed at a primary processing facility until it is ready for shipment to secondary processing. The project took place in NIC’s aquaculture wet lab space at the Campbell River campus and used some of the new commercial food processing equipment purchased through a recent NSERC Applied Research Tools and Instruments grant. The value stream map will help Cascadia identify processing pinch points and efficiencies that can be applied in their new seaweed processing facility in Port Alberni.

Research Team

Allison Byrne
Allison Byrne

Researcher

Amber Stroeder
Amber Stroeder

Researcher

Avalon Kline-Smith
Avalon Kline-Smith

Research Assistant

 

Project Outcomes

As planned, the project resulted in two streams of seaweed products: dried and frozen. Within each stream, two different seaweed species were tested, and various drying and/or blanching treatments were analyzed. The main outcomes included:

  1. value stream maps for each type of product, including processing times and equipment parameters
  2. discussion of the limiting steps for each processing stream
  3. iodine analysis for two species of seaweed and six blanching treatments

These results help the industry partner estimate their post-processing yield for different seaweed products which has significant implications for financial projections. The results also help the industry partner make decisions about the set-up of their own processing, for example equipment, space, and personnel requirements.

Partners

NSERC/CRSNG logo

Cascadia logo

 

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