Transforming Sargassum Seaweed into the Future of Prebiotic Nutrition
Lead: Prof. Jose Avalos, Yekaterina Tarasova
Department(s): Chemical and Biological Engineering
The Avalos team will convert Sargassum, an abundant and ecologically disruptive seaweed, into a sustainable, nutrient-rich prebiotic fiber ingredient for human consumption. Recognizing the health and environmental failings of the current food system — particularly the global fiber deficiency and rise in chronic diseases — the project seeks to harness Sargassum’s rich polysaccharide content through fermentation. The team seeks DFI support to (1) conduct a landscape and regulatory analysis of the fiber ingredient market to identify commercialization pathways, (2) perform a detailed compositional and nutritional profiling of Sargassum against established prebiotics, and (3) the development and optimization of fermentation methods using GRAS microbes to enhance its functional properties.