USDA gives $600,000 grant to develop seaweed-based additive for bread
According to Mainebiz, VitaminSea LLC, a seaweed harvesting and processing company based in Maine, has received a $600,000 Phase II grant through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to further develop SeaKelp+, a kelp-based additive for bread.
According to Mainebiz, VitaminSea LLC, a seaweed harvesting and processing company based in Maine, has received a $600,000 Phase II grant through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to further develop SeaKelp+, a kelp-based additive for bread. The company received a $100,000 SBIR Phase I grant in 2017 to prove the feasibility of adding kelp to bread and find that the costs would be not be prohibitive to bakeries that sought to use it in their products. The Phase II grant will allow the company to develop a prototype and partner with bakeries to develop their own recipes and conduct market testing.
“Adding seaweed to one’s diet is proven to provide health benefits, yet it is not widely consumed outside of Asian cultures,” the company wrote in its Phase II grant application. “Specifically, kelp contains a variety of minerals and vitamins, including naturally high levels of calcium, iodine, protein, antioxidants, potassium, iron, folic acid, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. By commercializing a kelp-based bread additive for business-to-business sales to bakeries, VitaminSea will bring these benefits to mainstream Western diets while naturally extending bread’s shelf life.”