Research on seaweed species found in abundance around New Zealand has led to the development and licensing of a promising new product. The five-year research program led by Scion set out to test the properties of different seaweeds, including Undaria pinnatifida and the commercially harvested, native species Ecklonia radiata.

Two years into the project, researchers have already commercially licensed their first product, a nanocellulose hydrogel, to project partner AgriSea, a leader in the New Zealand seaweed industry.

Hydrogels are used in burn wound dressings, biomedical engineering applications, drug delivery, cosmetics, and in agriculture to support plant health, to name a few examples. The gels can absorb vast amounts of water (up to 100 times their own weight) to form a jelly-like substance.

AgriSea sees promise in the seaweed nanocellulose hydrogels and will continue developing them for its growing range of seaweed-based products.

Read the feature on AgriSea in Sea Technology‘s September 2022 issue here.

Learn more about the new product here.