Macroalgae production is the fastest growing sector in global marine aquaculture, holding a remarkable potential for innovation, particularly on the development of new high valuable products (e.g., functional foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals). Furthermore, it is expected to gain further traction given the increasing perception of macroalgae as healthy and sustainable foodstuffs, particularly in developing markets of western countries. The main objective of this project is to develop a new method to trace the geographical origin of edible macroalgae using stable isotope signatures. In this project, compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) will be used to determine isotopic ratios of 13C/12C of monosaccharides in a variety of edible macroalgae with known geographical origin, collected at different regions in Portugal (Task 1). The possibility of using these ratio signatures to discriminate the different geographical locations of the macroalgae will be assessed. The same rationale will be used to determine the origin of edible macroalgae derived from different world aquacultures (Task 2). Finally, a dissemination and outreach task will be developed to communicate the project’s results to stakeholders and the public, while raising awareness of the importance of traceability, certification, authenticity and labelling of food products (Task 3). We envisage that the analytical approach presented in this project will offer a novel and practical solution for the aquaculture industry and other stakeholders (e.g., food standards certifying organizations, government and its agencies) to trace the origin of edible macroalgae and macroalgal-derived products, adding value to the traded goods and assuring compliance with EU regulations regarding traceability, authenticity and labelling.
