Adding value to a rockweed byproduct through fermentation: from lab to pilot scale.

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Acadian Seaplants Ltd. (ASL) is a major seaweed harvesting, cultivation and processing company with operations throughout the Maritimes and, more recently, internationally. As a major activity in their plant division, ASL harvests rockweed (Ascophylum nodosum) and prepares a liquid extract for sale as a growth stimulant for plants. During this extraction process, a significant amount of solid waste (termed DNP) is produced. This DNP comes from a finite biological resource and it is suspected that it still contains important biomolecules. This project, a collaborative effort between the BTSC-CCNB and ASL, aims to maximize the use of this rare ressource, by investigating and ultimatly commercializing a value added product from this by-product. Although a lot of information is available for the fermentation of seaweed, very little information is provided for commercial scale fermentation of rockweed byproducts, characterization of the degradation of the matrix, sugar utilization, and nitrogen utilization during the fermentation process. A number of new microbial communities and strains were isolated during the course of a first project which have shown promise to break down DNP polysaccharides more efficiently. These microbial strains, including microbial communities, fungi and bacteria isolated from various sources, will be tested for their ability to hydrolyze polysaccharides and to release bioactive components. This initiative is of great value as it could, among other things, maximize the use of an exceptional resource, stimulate the emergence of new market niches and export markets in crop production and horticulture, as well as have a positive environmental impact in keeping waste streams from reaching landfills. It could also create employment in a coastal rural area of the Maritimes.