Result Report Algae sources, cultivation and collection FucoSan is funded by Interreg Deutschland-Danmark with means from the European Regional Development Fund. Imprint Lead partner Photo credits Prof. Dr Alexa Karina Klettner, project coordinator Copyright of all pictures and graphics by FucoSan. University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel Project management Department of Ophthalmology DSN Connecting Knowledge Arnold-Heller-Straße 3 www.dsn-online.de 24105 Kiel, Germany Mail: [email protected] www.fucosan.eu This result report presents a compilation on the key findings provided by the partners working in the work package: WORK PACKAGE Project management 1 WORK PACKAGE Project communication & PR 2 WORK PACKAGE Algae sources, cultivation and collection 3 WORK PACKAGE Fucoidan characterisation and database development 4 WORK PACKAGE Pilot developments in medicine and cosmetics 5 WORK PACKAGE Organisation and business models 6 2 FucoSan (2017-2020) The FucoSan project Project aims Algae from the North and Baltic Sea serve as an im- ✔ Development of economically and ecologically portant but yet under-exploited marine bio resource. sustainable processes to obtain brown algae Brown algae contain fucoidan - a polysaccharide with from the Baltic Sea highly health-promoting activities that could be used in medicine and cosmetics. Fucoidans are also valued ✔ Setup of a database for the identification for their positive influence on inflammation, vascular of suitable fucoidans supply and tissue regeneration. With their antimicrobial properties, infections in the ✔ Pilots for fucoidan-based applications in bone could potentially be treated. However, fucoidan ophthalmology, regenerative medicine varies in structure, composition and modifications (tissue engineering) and cosmetics such as degree of sulfation or molecular weight - de- pending on the origin and other factors. This leads to ✔ Establishment of a German-Danish value different, sometimes even opposing effects. chain around the use of fucoidans The FucoSan project aimed at generating systematic knowledge of fucoidans and their modes of action. The FucoSan process chain In various test systems, the project partners inves- tigated on the optimal fucoidan for each particular application. Over the last three years, the project established a network in the German-Danish cross- border region pooling the expertise of companies and research institutions. They are active in the fields of extraction and purification as well as in chemical and biological characterisation of fucoidans. March 2017 – August 2020 3.8 million Euros budget, thereof 2.2 million Euros funds 8 partner organisations from Icons made by www.freepik.com from www.flatcions.com Denmark and Germany FucoSan (2017-2020) FucoSan (2017-2020) 3 Project partners Germany Denmark University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein, Technical University of Denmark Campus Kiel Department of Chemical and Biochemical Department of Ophthalmology Engineering, Lyngby Prof. Dr Alexa Karina Klettner Prof. Anne S. Meyer [email protected] [email protected] Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery University of Southern Denmark Prof. Dr Sabine Fuchs Department of Chemical Engineering, [email protected] Biotechnology and Environmental Technology, Odense Kiel University Prof. Xavier Fretté Pharmaceutical Biology [email protected] Prof. Dr Susanne Alban [email protected] Mads Clausen Institute, SDU Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Sønderborg Technology Management Ferran Giones Prof. Dr Carsten Schultz [email protected] [email protected] Silke Tegtmeier [email protected] CRM – Coastal Research & Management oHG Verena Sandow Odense University Hospital [email protected] Orthopaedic Research Unit Prof. Søren Overgaard oceanBASIS GmbH, Kiel [email protected] Dr Levent Piker Prof. Ming Ding [email protected] [email protected] GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Marine Natural Products Chemistry Prof. Dr Deniz Tasdemir [email protected] 4 FucoSan (2017-2020) Introduction What are algae? Broadly speaking, all photosynthe- time, people also started cultivating some species, tically active eukaryotes (organisms with a true cell especially in East Asia, which is nowadays the biggest nucleus) apart from land plants (mosses, ferns, seed market for seaweed products. Today, about 30 mil- plants) can be considered as algae. Within this very lion tons of seaweed biomass are produced in farms diverse group of ca. 44,000 known species (the ac- (i.e. seaweed aquaculture) worldwide, and only 1 mil- tual number is estimated to be much higher), most lion tons are collected from wild stocks. In compari- species are unicellular microscopic organisms called son, the total quantity of fish caught by fisheries is microalgae. Only a few microalgal lineages formed about 80 million tons/year (see FAO 2018). As men- multicellular macroscopic forms in the course of evo- tioned before, the majority of seaweed production lution, which are nowadays categorised as macroal- takes place in East Asia. In Europe, there are only a gae or “seaweds”. The three most prominent macro- small number of farms along the Atlantic Coast, and algal groups are green, red and brown algae, named wild material is collected in countries such as Norway after their typical colours, which result from different and France. Along the German and Danish Baltic Sea combinations of photosynthetic pigments. Red algae coast, i.e. in the project area, there are only a few sea- are the largest macroalgal group with about 7,200 weed farms, which all produce sugar kelp (Saccharina species, followed by brown algae (ca. 2,000 species) latissima). The only German farm is operated by the and green algae (ca. 1,800 species). They range in size company CRM. Other brown algae of interest for the from millimetres to more than 50 metres in the gi- project, like species of the genus Fucus, have not been ant kelps. Most macroalgae live in marine habitats, domesticated yet. At the same time, sustainable har- and only a small number colonise freshwater envi- vesting of brown algal biomass is also in its infancy in ronments. Macroalgae are typically found on rocky the project area. shores, because most species need a hard substra- tum to attach to, in order to maintain their position Therefore, three approaches were used to provide against currents or waves. Attachment is performed brown algal material to the project partners. First, with a special holdfast organ called a rhizoid; most biomass of different brown algal species was purcha- macroalgae also have a kind of stalk, called a cauloid. sed from farms located along European coasts. Se- Finally, the part responsible for photosynthesis and cond, a test farm was established in Kiel, Germany, reproduction is called a phylloid, because it often re- to experimentally cultivate two Fucus species in the sembles a plant leaf. Baltic Sea. Third, CRM collected experimental quan- tities of seaweed from the local Baltic Sea coast, and Red, green and brown algae are not closely related; also pursued developing a sustainable harvesting therefore, their chemical composition is very diffe- method for commercial purposes in negotiation with rent. For instance, they differ with respect to their the German and Danish authorities. The precise met- main cell wall sugars: red algae contain agars and hods and results of this part of the project are shown carrageenans, green algae contain ulvans and brown on the following pages. algae contain alginates and fucoidans as cell wall su- gars. As the focus of the FucoSan project was to elu- Seaweed in the North Sea and Baltic Sea is a valuable cidate the chemical properties and biological activi- but still underutilised marine bioresource, which is ties of fucoidans from different sources, only brown regarded as extremely promising, because it serves macroalgae were used as source material. CRM (Co- as a carbon sink, and it can be used for a wide range astal Research & Management, Kiel, Germany) was of purposes, from nutrition to pharmaceutics. One responsible for providing the other project partners of the beneficial ingredients in seaweed is fucoidan, with suitable algal material for the extraction of fu- which can be extracted from the brown algae and coidans. But where can one obtain brown algal bio- transformed into different value-added products. mass? The tasks of work package 3 (WP 3) were fundamen- tal, because they laid the foundation for all other Seaweeds have been used for millennia as food for work packages. Therefore, WP 3 was indispensable humans, as medicine and as feed for livestock, espe- to the success of the project. cially in coastal cultures. Originally, the biomass was The aim of WP 3 was to develop a common know- just collected from the shores during low tide. Over ledge base on the use of macroalgae (brown algae) FucoSan (2017-2020) FucoSan (2017-2020) 5 for the utilisation of fucoidan. During the literature coidan was tested regionally in this WP (activity 3.2). research and interviews, a list of algae species was The collection of natural macroalgae stocks can also compiled that are sustainable as well as suitable for be sustainable, if strategies are examined with re- (industrial) extraction of fucoidan (activity 3.1). Based gard to ecological sustainability and economy (acti- on this list of candidates, the project partners were vity 3.3). provided with raw material for extraction, testing This work package includes project partners with