SEAWEED hauled from the south-west coastline is fit for the dinner plate — nearly.
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Researchers at Deakin University have come up with some positive findings in the quest to see if a pile of seaweed salad could sit next to a chicken parmigiana.
A year of research and trials by Warrnambool academics has given Australian species the thumbs up for taste and nutrition.
Project co-ordinator and marine biologist Dr Alecia Bellgrove said the trial was the only one of its kind in Australia.
There’s some commercial and academic research into cultivating seaweed in Tasmania and South Australia — but not Australian seaweed for human consumption. “We’re the only centre that is looking at Australian species for human consumption,” Dr Bellgrove said.
“We did a nutritional analysis and taste trials and our Australian seaweeds are shaping up pretty good. Some species we could see on our dinner plates some time in the future.”
The trials held last year used experienced seaweed eaters to compare samples of Australian species against Japanese hijiki species. The trials started with seaweed made into stock for miso soups. “They scored highly on that scale that we rated them,” Dr Bellgrove said.
Finding people willing to eat seaweed in Warrnambool was surprisingly easy for researchers with a small Japanese population as well former overseas residents.
But the tasters rated Australian seaweed less kindly in the second salad round. “The Japanese hijiki had a much nicer texture and it was softer,” Dr Bellgrove said.
It’s thought that could be fixed by slow cooking the Australian species to match the quality of the Japanese variety.
There’s more than commercial reasons behind the study with strong evidence that seaweeds are good for nutrition and have potential to reduce obesity. “On the nutritional perspective, they show to be quite high in proteins and omega three and omega six,” Dr Bellgrove said.
Researchers need further grant money to continue work to see how seaweed could be commercially grown and harvested.
Seaweeds soak up metals and ocean pollution that allows them to detoxify oceans but also poses some health concerns for human consumption.
She said they were seeking entrepreneurial interest to fund the next round of research.
