MIAMI, Fla. – Experts are trying to solve a major problem in Florida. And the solution may be to eat it.
That’s according to officials with Florida International University, who put out information last week on a new research initiative examining how Florida sargassum could become food.
Sargassum seaweed — a stinky algae that floats in island-like masses — has been known to wash ashore along Florida’s east coast in huge stretches.
While these huge blobs of sargassum provide refuge and food for a variety of sea life, they can leave odors that smell like rotten eggs when they wash up on the beach. This stench is caused by a toxic gas that can be harmful for people with respiratory issues.
[RELATED: Here’s how sargassum can impact respiratory health]
In a release, FIU announced that the state is likely to see a record-breaking amount of sargassum hit Florida shores, with an estimated 10 million metric tons already floating about in the Atlantic.
Even aside from the health concerns, these massive sargassum blobs can be costly to taxpayers, being expensive to remove once they hit beaches.
This begs the question: “How do we get rid of it?”
But experts are instead asking: “Can we use it for something valuable?”
“For example, we extract high-fructose syrup from corn to make things sweet, and we extract agar from macroalgae to turn things into jellies,” the release reads. “Since sargassum is a type of algae, we thought it might contain useful compounds, even if it’s not traditionally used as food.”
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Per the experts, they discovered that sargassum has compounds like alginate, which is often used to help thicken foods like ice cream and other dairy products.
Furthermore, alginate is a popular ingredient in sport nutrition products, as it’s a complex carbohydrate. This means it’s slow burning and can provide athletes with more energy when they need it, unlike sugars, which give much more energy in the moment but lead to a crash later on.
That said, don’t go rushing to the beaches to get a taste of this stinky seaweed. It’s still not classified as a food source, and it can carry harmful bacteria and other contaminants.
To make it safe for consumption, researchers said they used “high-pressure processing,” which helps to kill bacteria while keeping food fresh. This keeps nutrients intact while getting rid of harmful microorganisms.
[RELATED: Sargassum washes ashore on Florida beaches in massive amounts]
However, while researchers have already analyzed the sargassum and extracted useful compounds, the third step may be a bit of a bottleneck.
“The third step would be developing actual products that people could use, like ice cream, or something else, but we’re not there yet,” the release continues. “That requires more funding and testing, and eventually regulatory approval.”
For more information on this latest study, visit FIU’s website here.