Freezing and storage of seaweed

Industrial utilization of macroalgae is in a rapid development in Europe, where the final products have several applications such as food and health, feed, manure, biofuels and chemicals. Norway has an extensive coastline and an existing know-how on processing of marine raw material and related infrastructure, thus, is a prime candidate for developing a bio-economy based on cultivation and processing of seaweeds. Many studies have focused on improving the quality of biomaterials (e.g. fruits, meat, fish) however, little efforts were committed to optimize the quality of frozen seaweeds.
The effect of refrigerated seawater (RSW) storage and frozen storage and thawing methods on the biomass quality of cultivated S. latissimi shows prolonged shelf life but also some challenges. Indicators commonly employed in food research, i.e. weight variations, texture, colour, bacterial load, were used to assess the quality of the biomass.