Novel food development

Innovations in the food sector are bringing new natural products to the market, frequently produced from new sources and by new methods.

One example is oil from microalgae. Microalgae are a source of bioactives such as omega-3 fats and antioxidants. Omega-3 fats such as EPA and DHA have a multitude of health benefits and are consumed in the diet through fish and krill oil or as supplements. Compared to wild fishing, microalgae are a more sustainable and vegetarian source of these nutraceutical ingredients.

Regulation and safety

Regulation and safety: In the EU, the bringing of new foods or food ingredients to the market is regulated. Safety of these products for the public is paramount. Under EU regulations, any food or food ingredient that was not consumed ‘significantly’ prior to 15th May 1997 is considered to be a novel food.

Novel foods can be new foods, food from new sources, new substances used in food or food produced by new technologies. Examples of EU authorised novel foods include edible insects, cultured meat, non-animal alternatives, plant sterols and even mushrooms treated with UV light to boost the vitamin D content.

Placing of such foods on the market must be in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. A person wishing to bring such a food to the European market must submit a dossier containing data on the compositional, nutritional, toxicological and allergenic properties of the novel food as well as information on respective production processes, and the proposed uses and use levels.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) performs scientific risk assessment on the safety of a novel food upon request by the European Commission. Authorised novel foods in the EU can be found on the Union list of authorised novel foods which is available online through the European Commission website.

The Union list contains entries for algal oil from several species of microalgae. The specified food categories for such microalgal sources range from sauces to food supplements, dairy alternatives, cereal products and cooking fats.

With the world’s growing population, microalgae have potential as a source of nutrition and high-value nutraceutical products. This is of interest to the Irish bioeconomy, where we have 3,172 kilometres of coastline rich in macro and microalgae, in addition to several sites on land where a variety of microalgae are cultivated.

Other bioeconomy opportunities for microalgae

Microalgae are actively being researched to explore their potential applications in the treatment of wastewaters from industry and domestic wastewaters. These microscopic organisms found in freshwater and marine ecosystems have a fast growth rate and play a major role in nutrient cycling, converting CO2 into biomass faster than any other plant, thus creating a ready source of food for other organisms.

Microalgae require high carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and water consumption for growth and wastewaters can be a source of these nutrients and water. Growing of microalgae in such wastewaters can simultaneously clean the water and produce biomass usable in various applications, while also consuming CO2.

Harvested algal biomass can be used as animal feed, fertilizer and as a biofuel feedstock. Wastewater treatment counts for approximately 1% of total European energy consumption. With optimised conditions and technologies, microalgae-based treatment of wastewaters could offer an eco-friendly approach to waste water treatment and an opportunity to embrace the circular economy.