You've almost certainly put lettuce on a burger, but what if a type of seaweed called sea lettuce was the burger.
Researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology have high hopes for just that after unveiling a method to extract three times more protein from sea lettuce than a conventional burger. They published their findings in the Food Chemistry journal, via Science Direct, and pointed to a number of potential uses for the flavorful seaweed, as VegNews detailed.
The overall problem the researchers were looking to address was creating alternatives to land-based protein sources, whether that be meat, dairy, or plant-based. Seaweed provides a promising solution. It can grow well in a variety of conditions without fertilizers, watering, or insecticides.
"Humanity will need to find and combine the intake of many more diversified protein sources than we have available in our diet today to meet sustainability and nutritional requirements," said Ingrid Undeland, a professor of food science at Chalmers, in a news release.
The research team said that its new method of extracting protein makes it more affordable and comparable to the process for pea and soy proteins. Sea lettuce is also rich in vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. As far as the taste, the scientists were bullish that there were tons of applications for it.
"It tastes like umami with a certain salty flavor, despite not containing such high levels of salt," said researcher João Trigo of a concentrate of the sea lettuce proteins. Trigo said the powder would be a "great flavor enhancer for seafood dishes and products" but dreamed bigger down the road.
"Why not protein smoothies or 'blue burgers' from the sea?" Trigo asked.
If that were to come to fruition, it would provide another alternative to animal-based protein sources. That could be important for the health of humans and the health of the planet, as research has clearly shown the benefits of plant-based diets.
On the human health side, a recent study said reducing red-meat consumption by 30% could save over 45,000 lives in a 10-year span. Those sorts of health benefits were also seen in a study featuring identical twins when the twins on the vegan diet saw major improvements in key health metrics.
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As far as the planet's health, another study revealed switching away from red meat and dairy-based diets to plant-based ones could reduce greenhouse gases by 17%. The Guardian also explored a study that showed how much climate damage and resource usage could be cut down with plant-based diets.
The Chalmers University team said it is also working to boost the protein content in the seaweed by growing it in processed water used by the seafood industry. It also hopes to use the nonprotein parts of the sea lettuce for food, medical, and material applications.
For now, when it comes to food sources, Undeland noted that "sea-based possibilities" or "blue proteins" have so far been "overlooked."
"Algae is a good addition to many of the products already on the market," Undeland concluded.
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