The Green Seaweed Ulva: Tomorrow’s “Wheat of the Sea” in Foods, Feeds, Nutrition, and Biomaterials
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
2024
Laurie C. Hofmann,
Sylvia Strauss,
Muki Shpigel,
Lior Guttman,
Dagmar B. Stengel,
Celine Rebours,
Natasha Gjorgovska,
Gamze Turan,
Karīna Bāliņa,
Gabrielle Zammit,
Jessica M. M. Adams,
Umair Ahsan,
Angela G. Bartolo,
John J. Bolton,
Rosario Domingues,
Omerhan Durrani,
Orhan Tufan Eroldogan,
Andreia Freitas,
Alexander Golberg,
Kira I. Kremer,
Francisca Marques,
Massima Milia,
Sophie Steinhagen,
Ekin Suku,
Liliana Vargas-Murga,
Shiri Zemah-Shamir,
Ziv Zemah-Shamir,
Antonio J. Melendez-Martinez
Ulva, a genus of green macroalgae commonly known as sea lettuce, has long been recognized for its nutritional benefits for food and feed. As the demand for sustainable food and feed sources continues to grow, so does the interest in alternative, plant-based protein sources. With its abundance along coastal waters and high protein content, Ulva spp. have emerged as promising candidates. While the use of Ulva in food and feed has its challenges, the utilization of Ulva in other industries, including in biomaterials, biostimulants, and biorefineries, has been growing. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current status, challenges and opportunities associated with using Ulva in food, feed, and beyond. Drawing on the expertise of leading researchers and industry professionals, it explores the latest knowledge on Ulva’s nutritional value, processing methods, and potential benefits for human nutrition, aquaculture feeds, terrestrial feeds, biomaterials, biostimulants and biorefineries. In addition, it examines the economic feasibility of incorporating Ulva into aquafeed. Through its comprehensive and insightful analysis, including a critical review of the challenges and future research needs, this review will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in sustainable aquaculture and Ulva’s role in food, feed, biomaterials, biostimulants and beyond.
Keywords
aquafeed | biomaterials | biorefinery | feed | food | nutrition | seaweed | Ulva
DOI
10.1080/10408398.2024.2370489
Hyperlink
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2024.2370489
Hofmann, L., Strauss, S., Shpigel, M., Guttman, L., Stengel, D., Rebours, C., Gjorgovska, N., Turan, G., Bāliņa, K., Zammit, G., Adams, J., Ahsan, U., Bartolo, A., Bolton, J., Domingues, R., Durrani, O., Eroldogan, O., Freitas, A., Golberg, A., Kremer, K., Marques, F., Milia, M., Steinhagen, S., Suku, E., Vargas-Murga, L., Zemah-Shamir, S., Zemah-Shamir, Z., Melendez-Martinez, A. The Green Seaweed Ulva: Tomorrow’s “Wheat of the Sea” in Foods, Feeds, Nutrition, and Biomaterials. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2024, , pp.1-36. ISSN 1040-8398. Available from: doi:10.1080/10408398.2024.2370489
Publication language
English (en)