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producing companies adopt B2B pushed culinary industry to rethink Monostroma in tanks under controlled Drivers Challenges opportunity that lies in cultivation
business model, wherein they procure seaweeds as food or food ingredients. condition. This assures cultivators Increasing research in the fi eld of Production of seaweed-based ani- and processing of seaweeds.
seaweed biomass, extract biostimu- quality raw materials through the year. biotechnology and demand for pro- mal feed needs large volume of raw
lants, and sell it to large/international Seaweeds are known for its rich CSIR-CSMCRI under CSIR Seaweed cessed foods with the changing life- materials, without which both the REFERENCES
agrochemical or fertiliser companies. nutritional properties and can be excel- Mission programme engages in identi- style demands sustainable and nutri- optimum production and price advan-  FAO 2024. The State of World Fishe-
lent supplements. Seaweeds as foods fying suitable locations and species, tious materials as core ingredient. tage over other competitive feed addi- ries and Aquaculture 2024 – Blue
Lack of homogenized standards is in existence from ancient time and is besides methods for cultivation, that tives will be lost. Transformation in action, Rome.
to certify the nutrient requirements already consumed in many South-East can help entrepreneurs take up such Challenges  Pandey, G., et al. (2023). Scope and
and effi cacy of seaweed biostimulant Asian countries such as Japan, China projects. Over the past decade, leading agar Related technologies of CSIR- challenges of seaweed utilisation
is another big hurdle in seaweed bio- and Indonesia. They are eaten directly production industries have produced CSMCRI in food and nutraceutical industry
stimulant industry not only in India, in food items such as salads, sushi, etc. Food processing industry more food-grade agar than bacterio- CSIR-CSMCRI has all the tech- in India: a review. Journal of Food
but across the globe. Seaweeds are generally low in fat and Alginate, the most abundant poly- logical-grade agar due to a shortage nical expertise related to cultivation Science and Technology.
rich in carbohydrates, minerals, vita- saccharide in brown algae, constitutes of high-quality raw materials. Identi- of seaweeds, such as raft method,  Radhakrishnan, M., et al. (2025).

Related technologies of CSIR- mins, dietary fi bre and essential micro- up to 40% of the dry weight of brown fying other suitable algae will help tube net method, hanging net, bottom Seaweed Farming can touch a mil-
CSMCRI nutrients, particularly antioxidants. seaweed. It is widely used as a gelling meet domestic demand and provide net, etc. Research on other futuristic lion lives, Primus Partners.
CSIR-CSMCRI has developed agent in the food industry, as well as better prices for both cultivators and methods is also being carried out in  World Bank.World Bank Annual

technologies for extraction of liquid India has a lengthy coastline of a stabilising and thickening agent in processors. the institute. Report 2023 : A New Era in Deve-
seaweed biostimulant from brown 7,517-km and an exclusive economic beverages, cosmetics, paper, pharma- lopment (English). Washington,
seaweed (Sargassum) and red seaweed zone of 2.17-million km², which hosts ceuticals, printing, and textiles. Related technologies of CSIR- Other value-added products D.C. : World Bank Group. http://
(Kappaphycus alvarezii, Gracilaria a diverse array of nearly 700 seaweed CSMCRI CSIR-CSMCRI is involved in documents.worldbank.org/curated/
edulis, Gracilaria deblis). The labora- species. However, the use of Indian Agar, a mixture of polysaccharides CSIR-CSMCRI has well-proven other eco-friendly, sustainable, value- en/099092823161580577
tory has conducted 164 fi eld studies seaweed in food applications remains primarily composed of agarose, serves technologies for production of mole- added products from seaweeds. The  India Biostimulants Market Size &

across almost all the states in country signifi cantly limited. (Pandey, Chat- as a hydrocolloid with various applica- cular biology based agarose, as well work on a sustainable biodegradable Share Analysis – Industry Research
in collaboration with agricultural univer- terjee et al. 2023). tions in the pharmaceutical, food, and as food grade and bacteriological thin fi lm as a replacement for single- Report – Growth Trends.
sities to evaluate the performance of cosmetic industries, with 90% of its grade agar. CSIR-CSMCRI has also use plastics and capsule shell for its
seaweed biostimulants to address the Drivers production utilised in food. developed integrated technology to applications in pharma industry will For more details contact: Head,
problem of lack of knowledge towards Consumer demand for vegetarian- extract carrageenan, and alginic acid soon hit the markets. Business Development & Information
different soil types. CSIR-CSMCRI based nutritious foods is one of the big- Carrageenan, another hydrocolloid from alginates respectively. All these Management, CSIR – Central Salt &
has also evaluated the performance gest pulling factors towards seaweed- similar to agar, is extracted from the technologies are already transferred The research efforts on seaweeds Marine Chemicals Research Institute,
of seaweed based biostimulant across based foods. Exposure and demand of cell walls of red seaweeds, where it to industries. also resulted in its application in the Bhavnagar, bdim@csmcri.res.in
crops for their responsiveness in yield. consumers towards international cui- accounts for 30-80% of the cell wall cosmetic industry. The other major
Till now, CSIR-CSMCRI has trans- sines, integrated with its acceptability, constituents and functions as a struc- Animal and pet feed industry research areas include seaweed-based ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ferred many related technologies to has been another infl uencing factor in turing agent. Carrageenan has diverse Seaweed is already used in the chemicals such as cellulose and its Dr. Kandeeban
different companies in India. Major the hotel industry. applications in pharmaceuticals, food, production of feed additives and feed derivatives. M. holds a Ph.D.
agrochemical and fertiliser companies and cosmetics, with different varie- ingredients. Growing population is in Agribusiness
such as IFFCO and KRIBCHO have Challenges ties – iota, kappa, and lambda – having also pushing the dependence on ani- CONCLUSION Management. He
adopted technology of CSIR-CSMCRI Availability of raw materials (sea- distinct chemical structures and mal-based food systems. The market India with her extended coast- has published more
in their product Sagarika and Savarika weed materials) throughout the year is properties that suit specifi c uses. These for seaweed-based animal feed addi- line has huge potential for seaweed than 15 Inter-
respectively, to name a few. a major issue in meeting the demands carrageenans are also employed as tives is expected to reach US$1.12-bn cultivation. With changing market national papers,
of hotel industry. Availability and functional ingredients in yogurt and as in 2030. Existing studies in ruminant demands in varied aspects of life, books and book chapters.
Food industry maintaining of uniform quality raw thickening agents in ice cream. animals shows that using seaweed- expanded use of seaweed is inevi-
The ever-mounting climatic issues material is another important issue to based animal feed would lead to table. R&D efforts of the institute Dr. Nikhilesh
along with reduced land area and con- be addressed. Indian agarophytes have traditionally reduction of methane emissions by on better variant development that Trivedi holds a
cern over sustainable agriculture raises been used to produce food-grade agar animals. sustain both abiotic and biotic stress Ph.D. in Chemi-
alarms on global food production. To Related technologies of CSIR- primarily for domestic consumption. tolerance is core of future research in cal Engineering.
maintain current consumption trends, CSMCRI The annual production of agar in India Drivers seaweed cultivation. Other scientifi c He has is exper-
the world will need to produce 50-70% To overcome the problem of ranges from 100-132 tonnes, utilising Increasing consumer concern on developments by CSIR-CSMCRI in tise in develop-
more food by 2050. Along with this, availability of raw materials, CSIR- approximately 880-1,100 tonnes of dry meat quality and food safety, backed the fi eld of cultivation of seaweeds ment of specialty chemicals and
growing consumer awareness and CSCMRI is working on developing agarophytes each year. Unfortunately, by the economic gains/conversion and value processing add strength. Life cycle assessment of Specialty
concerns over nutritious & healthy methods towards cultivation of edi- the majority of the agar products used effi ciency of using seaweed-based Chemicals.
food and trend towards veganism has ble seaweed varieties such as Ulva & in India are imported. feed additives are advantageous. There is huge entrepreneurial

162 Chemical Weekly April 29, 2025 Chemical Weekly April 29, 2025 163

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