Seaweed as a Potential New Source for Starch, Produced in the Sea: A Short Review

Abstract

The social concern with sustainable development encourages the study of new sources of starch; among these sources, the cultivation of macroalgae is a strategy for the development of a sustainable bioeconomy. This mini-review aims to present the main aspects related to the current seaweed market, the extraction, composition, and properties of starch, as well as its prospects as a sustainable ingredient capable of generating income and health for the world's population. The green algae species Ulva has been suggested as a promising source for starch extraction; however extraction is a challenge mainly due to the difficulty in breaking down the cell walls and isolating the starch granules. The algal starch granule is small (1.7-7 µm), and another characteristic is the high amylose content, above 55%, which may indicate that it is a resistant starch or slow digestion. Seaweed starch still needs to be scaled its production, extraction, and application potential, as a main ingredient or as a co-product of gum processing, which already have a production chain, as they have great potential as nutraceutical or functional starch for food of low calorie, or for applications as a thickener in the food, cosmetics, and other industries.Starch and its derivatives are the main sources of energy, accounting for more than 40% of the world's daily caloric intake, [1] and are also used in the food industry to thicken, texturize, gel, stabilize, and often replace higher-cost ingredients. [2] Starch production is predominantly carried out through traditional agriculture. Starch is extracted from sources such as corn, rice, wheat, potato, and cassava. [3] However, due to the increase in the world population and the growing need for food supply, guidelines on the sustainability of cereal production have been addressed, [4,5] as these commodities are produced in monoculture systems, with

Macroalgae Bioplastics: A Sustainable Shift to Mitigate the Ecological Impact of Petroleum-Based Plastics

“…The higher amylose can influence the material properties of the resulting bioplastic. Starch extracted from algae has been studied as a potential substitute for commercial corn starch in various applications, including the production of biodegradable materials as bioplastics [114]. Seaweed starch granules are small (1.7-7 µm) and have a high amylose content, indicating that they can yield high-quality bioplastics.…”