- Which compounds in Sargassum seaweed are nutritionally beneficial?
There are plenty of essential micronutrients in Sargassum seaweed powder. For example, 10 g of seaweed, our recommended amount per day, contains:
• 700 mg of calcium (daily requirement: 1000 mg)
• 10.8 mg of zinc (daily requirement: 8-11 mg)
• 34.1 mg of iron (daily requirement: 8-18 mg)The amount of nutrients found in 10 g of seaweed powder is below the tolerable upper intake level.
- What are some of the challenges that you foresee in NutriSea’s future?
Moving forward, we believe that we will face challenges in encouraging the uptake of seaweed powder among the communities. After all, Sargassum seaweed is currently perceived as a waste, instead of the treasure trove of nutrients that it really is. We plan to work hand in hand with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to educate communities on the benefits of consuming the seaweed.
Furthermore, at only 10 g, the amount of seaweed powder that needs to be added to rice or soup is minimal and will not alter the taste, color, texture or smell of food. Thus, food supplemented with seaweed powder will still be highly palatable.
- What were some preliminary ideas that you as a team had discussed before finally settling on NutriSea?
We were quick to converge on the idea of using Sargassum seaweed as the raw ingredient for our nutrient supplement. However, we spent a lot of time working on the processing method for the seaweed. One of the earlier iterations of the idea was simply to collect the seaweed from the shoreline and then mass-manufacture it into nutrient supplements.
However, we soon realized that Sargassum seaweed powder has great commercial value as a raw ingredient for cosmetics, fertilizers and pharmaceutical products. That was the critical moment when we pivoted the idea to further engage the community in this process.
We decided to create a processing kit that allows communities to process the seaweed into powder on their own. The excess seaweed powder produced can then be sold to manufacturers to generate a supplementary income. By doing so, we not only address the issues surrounding hidden hunger, but also simultaneously help to alleviate poverty faced by these communities.
- Now that the competition is over, what are your plans for NutriSea?
The competition was a great opportunity for us to gain exposure for our project. We met many amazing and inspiring figures, including Dame Mary Archer, chair of the National Science Museum in London, who provided us with extraordinary insight and advice. We are currently in the process of improving our project based on the insights we gained from the competition.
We hope to launch a test pilot in Indonesia, a country affected by both hidden hunger and Sargassum overgrowth. We further shortlisted 21 locations within Indonesia as potential launch pads for our pilot testing. In fact, we are currently in active discussion with an NGO based in Indonesia that is dedicated to distributing low-cost technologies to developing nations. We hope to modify our strategy based on the lessons learnt in the pilot testing phase, before proceeding to other locations.
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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Matthew James.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
