Sea & Flour awarded patent for technology which processes seaweed for use in bread
US-based company Sea & Flour has secured a patent for its processing technology which enables it to add seaweed to bread.
Receiving the patent means the company will be able to use its technology for the cold washing, processing, and granulating of seaweed for use in breads and similar baked products.
Sea & Flour says its processing system allows seaweed to be used in high volume baking production, without the unique salty flavour or nutritional value of the ingredient being affected.
The company has already worked to produce a range of breads, buns, rolls and pizza dough using seaweed. In comparison to some standard bread loaves on the market, it says its bread range is lower in sodium and higher in protein.
“We’ve learned from extensive market research that a significant share of American consumers now want to find ways to eat seaweed more often, so we set out to identify a way to make that easy to do by incorporating it into foods that people already eat on a daily basis,” Penelope Wasserman, co-founder and President of Sea & Flour said in a statement.
The company focussed on developing its technology for use in bread and similar baked goods as they are staples of the average American diet.
“Being awarded this patent is recognition of the uniqueness of our approach and the methods we developed and perfected over several years,” said Arlin Wasserman, co-founder and CEO of Sea & Flour. “We’re making seaweed perform successfully as a key ingredient in food manufacturing including in everyday products like breads, rolls and pizza crusts, and we’re excited to see this nutritious and sustainable ingredient play a larger role in our diets. Our goal is to help food manufacturers and retailers make products that consumers already love do more for them in terms of nutritional value while also doing more for the planet.”
There is a growing conversation around how seaweed could be used as a sustainable ingredient in food production. Organic seaweed supplier Seaweed & Co., for example, is developing ingredients from Hebridean Ascophyllum seaweed to enrich and develop the flavour of plant-based fish.
