Commercialising a lesser-known crop like seaweed or cascara can be daunting – but with untapped functional properties, “superfood” level nutrients, and environmental wins, the potential rewards are big, highlighted experts at Fi Europe.
Food technologists should consider the possibility of harnessing not just the whole ingredient itself but also potential derivatives, according to Raphaelle O’Connor, founder of the product development consultancy iNewtrition.
Speaking at Fi Europe this week, O'Connor said: "I have done quite a lot of work using an ingredient like linseed or flax seed and this is quite rich in terms of protein [and] fatty acids but it also has other [attributes] like emulsifying and stabilising that can really enhance specific matrices. It's very important to identify the different portions of those untapped ingredients and how those could fit into a specific product. [Short] ingredient lists, clean label, avoiding a number of different additives – untapped ingredients really can play a big part in terms of formulation.”
Other ingredients that could have similarly interesting properties – while also benefitting from positive consumer acceptance – include buckwheat and millet, she added.
Nicolas Carbonnelle, partner at legal firm Bird & Bird, noted that an ingredient’s potential is affected by its regulatory status.
“I think that is one of the elements to be looked at very early in the development process, just to manage expectations in terms of comparing the market potential and the time it will take to effectively bring it to market,” he said. “To cut that long story short, whenever the novel food regulation comes into play, it has to be clear in the operator's mind that this means the start of a process that can be quite lengthy. It can take several years to get a novel food to market in Europe.”
For Samantha Garwin, director of market development at non-profit GreenWave, which works to establish global supply chains for regenerative seaweed farming, an essential element is creating the supply chain.
“My work has been on the supply side, so building supplier networks and the processes required to bring new products to market. Are there farmers and growers out there who are ready to scale or to aggregate to achieve that scale? And is the value chain ready to meet the regulatory requirements and the functional [properties] that companies require?”
One potentially significant hurdle faced by underutilised or untapped ingredients is consumer acceptance. Food industry stakeholders may be understandably reticent to invest millions in developing a supply chain for an ingredient they are not certain will sell.
However, Garwin recommended initially using such ingredients as inclusions or additives rather than the “hero ingredient”.
“With the exception of nori seaweed snacks, [...] the Western palate has yet to fully adapt to seaweed being a centre-of-the-plate item but I don't think that it has to be. The Western world doesn't really accept soy in that role either but it's hard to argue that, as an ingredient, it is invaluable. If we shift kelp out of that hero role into a more sidekick role or behind-the-scenes role and just embrace it for the immense functionality it has, I think we'll have better luck.”
The industry should also be mindful that language matters and a great marketing campaign can help to build or transform an ingredient’s reputation, Garwin said. Spirulina, for instance, has become a hugely popular so-called superfood but it is – unbeknown to many people who buy it – a cyanobacteria.
O’Connor echoed the importance of communication regarding the ingredient’s unique properties, through consumer education, certifications, or health claims.
However, she warned that not all consumers have the same willingness to try new ingredients, and so brands may wish to take a targetted approach. Using a lesser-known ingredient may be more appropriate for certain food and drink categories or for specific consumer demographics, such as early adopters.
While the regulatory barriers in Europe may seem daunting, brands should not get disheartened: not all untapped ingredients require the same level of safety approvals, said Carbonnelle. He gave the example of cascara, the fruit of the coffee cherry that has been consumed traditionally by coffee growers around the world.
“... seeing the potential and traction around the circular economy and upcycling, […] processing has been put in place and [cascara] has now been authorised as a traditional food from a third country because it could be demonstrated that it had been consumed by a significant portion of the population for a long period of 25 years,” he said.
“For other products where you can't demonstrate that, you have to go through a much more demanding novel food application process,” he added.
Another important element for stakeholders to consider is equitable resource sharing – particularly when it comes to exploiting native crops used by local or indigenous communities. When quinoa exploded in popularity in the West around 2013, it went from being a nutrient-packed staple food for Bolivians living on the Altiplano into a cash crop. The result was that many Bolivian farmers began commercialising all their quinoa supplies and communities switched from eating quinoa to cheaper rice. Micronutrient deficiencies and hidden hunger ensued.
Greenwave has been working with native American communities in Alaska to cultivate kelp, ensuring that they can actively participate in the economic benefits of growing seaweed, which has been one of their staple foods for thousands of years.
" I think we need to be conscious of the opportunity in these ingredients but also the responsibility – if we're doing something from the beginning – to do it right,” Garwin said. “We've made some mistakes in our food system [but] we know better now.”
