From the ocean, the food of the future: seaweed-based pancetta arrives

In the last few hours the Earth has reached the record figure of 8 billion inhabitants: this means that to satisfy the growing demand for food it will be necessary to work more and more in search of nutritious and sustainable foods capable of supporting us without impacting the nature of the Planet . The oceans provide on average only 2% of the daily per capita caloric intake but contain an important resource, which so far many countries have underestimated: algae.

Vegetable organisms, which contain a high number of nutrients such as vitamins, proteins and minerals useful to humanity, could be a precious ally in the search for sustainable foodsbut a greater push is needed despite their growth on the market: for example, according to a recent Portuguese-led study, there is great potential in Europe too. About 150 seaweed species are already consumed on a regular basis but only 20% of these have been given the official green light in the Novel Foods Directive. The consumption and use of seaweed is growing, with a global value of about 14 billion dollars, but in some areas of the world, such as Europe or even the States, a cultural problem still remains: we are not used to consuming them and we are wary, perhaps even just because of the appearance of these foods.

That’s why more and more companies try to turn this around “super food” into something that the eye and taste may already be familiar to consumers. Paradoxically, even turning seaweed into bacon. A US startup is focusing on just that: transforming kelp into a sort of bacon.

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There Umaro Foods, which operates in the Bay Area, is focusing on seaweed and aquaculture to obtain new sources of protein with foods to be used in the future all over the world, starting with restaurants in New York. the CEO, Beth Zotterten years ago wanted to aim at developing algae-based biofuels but then turned to the potential use of sea vegetables in the agri-food sector: seeing the developments of companies such as Beyond Meat And Impossible Foods (who create, for example, the well-known vegan hamburger), has done some research: per acre cultivated in the ocean – he explains – kelp can produce five times more protein than a field of soybeans.

With aquaculture engineering experts at the University of New Hampshire and researchers at Otherlab in San Francisco helping the company grow algae outside the ocean, Umaro Foods has focused on the gelatinous aspect that is seaweed component: that, they say, is the secret to restoring the famous “fat” flavor of pork belly.

After months-long experiments and working with the Oregon State University food innovation laboratory, the startup has finally obtained an algae-based formula to make fake bacon crunchy, made with a combination of chickpeas, coconut and sunflower oil, salt and other plant ingredients. The result, also thanks to the “fat encapsulation” by the seaweed gel, is a final product that those who have tried it define as “very similar to the taste of bacon”.

Currently, production costs are still high, but Umaro Food’s bacon has already launched in some New York restaurants and grocers featuring a plant-based sandwich. Meanwhile the company is working on new automated equipment that will reduce costs and “once completed we should be able to beat the price of pork belly,” Zotter enthuses.