Meerbrood: The rise of seaweed in the baking industry

Seaweed may be the solution
global protein crunch - but how do you win over consumers? For
Phycom
in the Netherlands, the answer is to add seaweed to one of the country's most popular foods, bread, while using the benefits of seaweed to reduce salt use to attract health-sesthy consumers.While the latest hybrid crops and super-fruit varieties are rich and look good, it is the least evolved plant on Earth,
-
microalgae, that is attractive to new food sources and best suits the industry's pursuit of nutrition and sustainability., however, if microalgae are gaining attention in the Food Industry in Europe and North America, it does not have the same impact on most consumers outside asia, where algae are a defined part of the diet. For
Phycom
, a Dutch company that believes seaweed can bring huge benefits as a global food source, the initial challenge is all about getting consumers to get used to the taste of their company's products while instilling a "good nutrition" product image."Our mission is
provide the best source of food for everyone," reinier Smit said. At the same time, our "offer" means local and economic affordability. Sowhat push
ed
Smit
and his partner

Erwin Houtzager
to take the path of "seaweed utilization" before the company began to take shape in 2008-
? After all,
Houtzager
may have a previous patent record in bio-innovation, but
Smit
's background is in a completely different field, where he worked in
Sara Lee
's tea and coffee business.we see very clearly the shortage of proteins, minerals such as phosphates, and freshwater resources, " he said. The emerging solution is seaweed products. We thought carefully about this situation and wondered why the seaweed market could not be bigger and more successful. The price of seaweed per kilogram of dry weight is high. The cost of producing seaweed products has been high, and the products produced do not always meet human food standards. Thenext question is how to make progress on this important task with
two men and a dog
, which in Dutch means "two hands and a horse head" (
two hands and a horse's head
).
to grow
business as soon as possible and to work with business partners," Smit said. In this way, a large number of products can be produced in the shortest possible time, thus making the price of the product relatively low.according to
Smit
, although
Phycom
's production took place outside the food and biotechnology center of
Wageningen
, the company now has two established business partners.
Smit
details, telling us only that a company based elsewhere in Europe would produce processed products for
Phycom
by the end of the year. The second, located in North America, will
start production in
2014. He said a third partnership is still under negotiation and, if it goes well, should start production for
Phycom
next year.'s obviously a small company that wants to grow fast. But for Western consumers, the most basic acceptance challenge remains when it comes to seaweed in their diets, and the problem is not solved overnight.
If
added so much value, how can you let consumers know about it and be interested in it?" said Smit, a researcher at Smit. The solution we discussed was to add seaweed to everyday products. " solution
Phycom is to add fresh bread with microalgae to the recipe. According to
Smit
, the idea has been aimed at wholemeal bread since its implementation, with the addition of
5%
(weight meter)
Chlorella Pirenoidosa
microalgae.
meerbrood
brand of bread was launched last year and the brand name
'meer'
contains "freshwater lakes" (suggesting seaweed) and in Dutch the word"more" means the product is more nutritious., of course, this nutrient-rich product benefits from the protein, fiber and minerals found in cyanobacteria. In addition to containing more than any other plant, this microalgae is rich in all the important amino acids, essential fatty acids, β
-
carotene, and more than
20
different vitamins and minerals." but in fact, we pay great attention to salin reduction" in the marketing process, and we want to convey the message of "less salt, more nutrition"., the salt content standard for bread in the Dutch food industry is
1.5%
. Because the use of seaweed can reduce the salt content of bread to
1%
,
Phycom
can claim to have reduced the salt content of their products by
33%
.
other
countries, such as Germany, the industry standard salt content is
2.5 percent
, so the reduction in salt is even more significant,
Smit said. Smit
pointed out:

people choose
Meerbrood
brand bread for many reasons, salt reduction, blood pressure is a hot topic, there is nutrition, taste is also very good."
fact,
, as he readily admits, this flavor
"
takes some time to adapt to
"
.

Bischopsmolen
Bakery in Maastri
cht is one of the
125
bakeries currently offering products for
Meerbrood
and one of the most actively involved in the development and innovation of the brand. Frank van Eerd
owner of the
, said:
"
consumers are still more enthusiastic about salt reduction." They also know it's healthier to eat less salt, but at the same time they want to eat delicious bread. Their feedback tells us that thanks to the freshness, the bread's freshness and sweetness still exist. also visually, a little green on the bread also had an effect. Last year's survey showed that most consumers would link the color to health.

Phycom
's
Essentials
capsules and powdered microalgae (see box) focus on health-conscious target populations,
Meerbrood
is still more considered a household product.
"
women who want their children to have the best nutrition at the beginning of the day,
" says Smit
. This bread costs
400
grams
2.95
euros ($
3.83
)
-
or
7.38
euros ($
9.53
) per kilogram
-
and Holland
Other breads at Albert Heijn
are more expensive than other breads at the supermarket, with prices ranging from standard bread from
to 1.92
euros ($
2.48
) per kilogram to black bread
7.90
euros ($
10.20
) per kilogram. the algae found in these products provide more benefits to consumers and bakers.
"
shelf life is definitely affected by algae,
" van Eerd
said
Bischopsmolen
.
last
, the shelf life of our products exceeded
9
days and there were no signs of fungi or bacteria.
"
breads without microalgae usually have a shelf life of three or four days.


Van Eerd
is one of two major distributors of the Dutch
Meerbrood
dedicated to the development and innovation of the brand, according to
Smit
.
Bischopsmolen
has tested
a Speyer wheat
Meerbrood
bread, which he says provides
"
"
"
. But Speyer wheat is less popular and more expensive, he adds. Although many individual bakeries are involved in the production and sale of this bread,
Phycom
maintains control over the formulation by providing dealers with
5
percent premixes containing cytomega.
"
the mixture was
mixed by
Sonneveld
, a unit of
Okla Food Additives
,
and then sold to bakers,

said.
"
our brand and we are responsible for ensuring consistent quality.
” Given
vision of
-behind-the-scenes group, it's no wonder that they have a well-defined plan for the future.
Smit
not want to talk about quantifying brand value growth, but talks about
's expected growth of 100
between
and 2013
. Starting next year, the expansion is likely to be even more impressive as new volumes are expected from three companies outside the Netherlands. "
foreign companies have expressed interest in us, "

said.
"
already exists, across Europe and around the world. For now, there is a short supply of products.
” There is already demand from the Nordic countries, Germany
France and
for
meerbrood blends.
"
we have the first demand from the United States, "

added. the future of the brand will be multi-dimensional. So far,
Phycom
has been focusing on small or handmade bakers. What about the industrial bakeries that supply packaged bread to a wider retail network? "This formula serves a larger brand, " Says Mr Schmidt. "And we're already looking for opportunities to get it into the big retailers." from
van Eerd
, the company is pushing for a policy of opening up to the outside world. "Buyers, marketers and directors of major retailers regularly visit
Bischopsmolen
and have shown interest in
Meerbrood
," he said. "We believe that the product has the potential to stimulate the interest of a large group of consumers." fact,
sales of Bischopsmolen
and other bakeries mean that the brand has reached a large potential audience in the Netherlands. dimension of brand growth is the extension of the product line. Over here <