Production of a Kelp-Based Plant Biostimulant Supplement Product: Fermentation Studies and Chemical Analysis

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Keltsmaht Kelp is a First Nations led company specializing in premium and organic kelp products, based in the heart of The Nuu-Chah-Nulth Hahoulthee (Territory), also known as the greater Tofino area of British Columbia. Camosun Innovates is the applied research group at Camosun College and has been actively involved in advanced manufacturing and product development over the past twenty years, with a focus on assisting local companies with product development or quality issues associated with manufacturing. All of their kelp, Macrocystis integrifolia, is sustainably hand-harvested off the pristine coast of Clayoquot Sound and hand-processed in Tofino, BC. Their harvest license is based off of current research in Clayoquot Sound. Their main product, Kelp Probiotic, is an organic biostimulant made from wild kelp that has demonstrated great success for large scale fruit and vegetable growers, home gardens and small-scale growers, as well as lawn and indoor use. This product significantly increases crop performance and yield by: increasing vegetative growth and fruit enlargement due to the presence of highly concentrated natural phyto-hormones; accelerating crop metabolism and stimulating fast recovery from stress conditions, due to the presence of Laminariales, vitamins, betaines, mannitol and other polysaccharides, and; producing carrier effect on nutrients with alginic acid and mannitol that act as complexing agents enhancing nutrients uptake into the plant. The company's previous research and development work includes creating novel processing techniques, testing and creating multiple successful formulas, and implementing novel packaging. Currently, research is needed to optimize fermentation rate by studying the sugar substrate, the bacillus culture, and the kelp feedstock; this will greatly affect how Keltsmaht Kelp moves forward; decreases fermentation time will allow increases in production output. Plant biostimulants work to build healthy soil and plants through numerous mechanisms such as increasing the soil organic matter content by adding in humic and fulvic acid. There is also an increase in the beneficial microflora such as Rhizobium bacteria which can act as a biopesticide and biofertilizer. Seaweed based products can feed the soil with micro and macronutrients and buffer the pH. In general it is well documented that fermented materials contain significant nutrients and are suitable as a fertilizer for agriculture. Developing and refining production processes will allow the company to scale at a faster rate and ultimately introduce more locally-made agriculture products into the Canadian agriculture sector. The main research challenge to address is the impact of brown sugar vs unsulphured molasses on the fermentation process. Main deliverables include improved understanding of fermentation rates when varying key parameters such as molasses vs brown sugar, which is the substrate for fermentation. Other areas of inquiry include the quantity of starting culture as well as the chopping of the kelp. Lastly, obtaining a detailed chemical analysis profile for each of the fermentation experiments will allow decisions to be made regarding the best overall process. This research has value to other aspects of the business, Naas Foods, which is involved in kelp food and is working on a fermented kelp drink. This information could be used to refine the process and production of our future drink products.