Microbial fermentation of seaweed biomass and possible industrial use

Motoharu Uchida
Natl. Res. Inst. Fisheries and Environment of Inland Sea
Fisheries Research Agency, JAPAN (uchida@affrc.go.jp)

Abstract: Lactic acid fermentation of seaweed was developed as a tool for algal biomass utilizati
Fermentation scheme is shown with possible industrial applications.

①Degradation and saccharization with LAB ②Ｆermentation with lactic acid

polysaccharide decomposing enzyme （cellulase etc.） bacteria (LAB)

Glucose Fermentation
products：
①ca.10μｍ in
Glucose diameter
Glucose ②Low pH (ca. 4) and
Frond Single cell products long preservable
tissue
Fig. 1 Scheme of lactic acid fermentation.

Possible application : as food 4

a
1.5

Cholesterol (mg/ml serum)

Triacylglycerol (mg/ml serum)

3 ab
b
1.0

Terrestrial Marine 2

0.5
1

0 0.0
Control Undaria Fermented Undaria Control Undaria Fermented Undaria
Natto C. In serum
A. In serum

Bread 50 3.5 a
Beer Plant a 3.0 ab
Triacylglycerol conc. (mg/g liver)

40 b
materials a
Cholesterol (mg/g liver)

2.5
30
2.0
Cheese Animal b 1.5
20
materials 1.0
10
0.5

0 0.0
Control Undaria Fermented Undaria Control Undaria Fermented Undaria

B. In liver D. In liver

Yogurt Fish sauce

Fig. Concentration of lipid components in the serum and liver of rats fed diets containing Undaria pinnatifida
Katsuobishi (Wakame) at 10% w/w P<0.05

Fig. Categories of fermented food. No food has Fermented material of seaweed is a new food item
been developed from marine plant materials. with a function to reduce triacylglycerol conc. in rat.

Table 1 Results of feeding trials of fermented Undaria (FU) and non-fermented Undaria (U) with young
pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata martensii
Possible application : as marine silage Treatments Feeding conditions (cells/mL/day)
Growth rate of hinge length
(Mean±SE, μm/day)
*1 Survival (%)

Unfed No feed -10 ± 14 d 53.3

4
Chaetoceros 3x10 168 ± 33 ab 66.7
3 d
1/10 Chaetoceros 3x10 11 ± 10 66.7
4 c
FU 2x10 23 ± 13 53.3
4 3 a
FU+1/10Chaetoceros 2x10 (FU) +3x10 (C. calcitrans ) 125 ± 13 80.0
4 bc
x2.5 FU 5x10 47 ± 17 66.7
4 c
U 2x10 18 ± 16 66.7
4 3 abc
U+1/10Chaetoceros 2x10 (U) +3x10 (C. calcitrans ) 71 ± 14 93.3
4 c
x2.5 U 5x10 23 ± 18 53.3
Results are based on a single rearing trial (n=15).
*
Treatments with common superscripts are not significantly different (Games-Howell test, P<0.05)

Man
Food Eutrophication

Bivalves etc.

Marine silage
Fig. Conceptual figure of marine silage
Clam fishing Nuisance algae

Fig. A study to convert Ulva biomass, nuisance algae,

to bivalve diet is in progress.