STORRS, Conn. — A new startup, Atlantic Sea Solutions, is diving deep in the Long Island Sound for a seaweed solution to moldy strawberries.
“People have tried extending shelf life with other formulations but not specifically from seaweed,” Anuj Purohit, PhD., a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Connecticut, said.
A team of researchers at the University of Connecticut says they have discovered the secret to longer-lasting fruit, by extracting the nutrients of natural marine algae from New England’s backyard.
“Our team harvests fresh seaweed from the Long Island Sound somewhere off the coast of Stonington,” Purohit said. “We bring it to our lab. We dry it. We use this as a feed stock for a multi-step extraction, which is our proprietary process. It undergoes multiple steps of extraction.”
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The team then uses the extractions to coat fresh produce like berries and double their shelf life, at a time when about one-third of all food produced in the U.S. goes uneaten, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Use food to save food,” Yidan Zhang, a PhD candidate at the University of Connecticut, said. “ It could help to reduce food waste and have a realistic impact on people’s life every day.”
Up to 40% of the U.S. food supply ends up in landfills, according to the USDA. Much of that is fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables that spoil after a few days.
But now, researchers say those same items can stay fresh for two times longer, thanks to the nutrients from seaweed, which act as a natural preservative.
“Right now, people are more and more concerned of the safety of their food and also the environmental impact of their food,” Zhang said.
Purohit adds the availability of seaweed and quick harvesting time helps minimize impacts from supply chain disruptions such as backlogs, strikes and environmental events.
“There's something like 100-plus forest fires going on in the Amazon right now. That has tangible and direct impacts on the food industry,” Purohit said. “So, if we are able to source locally, not only will we bypass all those issues, we will be also incentivizing the local seaweed farmers. It’s a win-win for us.”
Atlantic Sea Solutions is working to patent and commercialize this technology in hopes of eventually making it market-ready. The team plans to keep the business rooted in Connecticut.
“We are also experimenting with foods, which are most perishable and which is a pain point for consumers like say berries or specialty mushrooms, which are typically also premium priced,” he said. “I think the priority is right now just refining the technology and growing the company, which, which will keep us well occupied for five to 10 years.”
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Bridgette Bjorlo is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at bbjorlo@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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