Looking Beyond

Carrageenan

from red seaweeds

and Algae

A VISUAL INTRODUCTION TO HOW

WE STARTED…

RAFT PREPARATION SEEDING OF ROPES

CULIVATION RAFT FOR HARVESTING DRYING ON SHORE

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KAPPAPHYCUS CULTIVATION IN TAMIL NADU

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WHY IS PRODUCT DIVERSIFICATION

NECESSARY?

� The erratic nature of supply and demand ofseaweeds in the global market causes major swingsin price which in turn disrupts the market.

� This price volatility creates farmers dependence onintermediaries as they keep switching on and offfrom cultivation.

� Creation of multiple product streams as well asadditional applications of the seaweeds wouldenable natural hedging against unexpected markettrends.

� The process of product diversification requires alarge amount of Research and Development as wellas the need to redefine the parameters ofprocessing.

� The process of product diversifications is a longjourney and is full of challenges. In the long run it isevident that the benefits will justify the journey.

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� The traditional process of manufacturingCarrageenan from dry seaweed is very waterintensive and creates a large volume of discharge,treatment of which is both capital and energyintensive.

� Since cultivation in India began in an area wherewater availability was a challenge, the need for asolution that addressed water consumption wasessential.

� Changing the format of the raw material beingprocessed from dry to freshly harvested seaweedwas an obvious solution. As water required forwashing and rehydration could be saved.

WHAT PROMPTED US TO REVISIT THE

CONVENTIONAL PROCESS

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� AquAgri worked closely with CSMCRI (constituent ofCSIR- The apex Scientific body in India) to developa process, which since then has beencommercialized and patented globally.

� This new process not only addressed thefundamental issue of reducing water and energyconsumption but it also provided a line of sight forproducing additional products for use in agricultureand animal nutrition

� The change of format of raw material sourcing alsoreduced the workload for the farmers as more than50% of their time is currently spent on drying,cleaning and packing. This additional available timewas leveraged for increasing the cultivationfootprint, also leading to enhanced farm income.

THE PROCESS CHANGE TRIGGERED A

JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION

NEW APPROACH TO PROCESS

SEAPLANTS

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Plant Nutrient-Agriculture

Carrageenan PolysaccharideGelling/Stabilizing Agent

Sea plant

TECHNOLOGY LICENCED BY CSMCRI

Anitionmal Nutrition

A NEW PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY CSMCRI, INDIA.

PATENTED GLOBALLY

� Based on fresh weed.

� Liquid extract rich in micro nutrients, tested as a agriculturalbio-fertilizer for boosting crop productivity.

� Field Trials delivered 15-30% increase in yield across variouscrops.

Increase in yield couldn’t be explained only by just thepresence of micronutrients…

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MICRO-NUTRIENT LEVEL

COPPER (Cu) 0.90 mg/kg

ZINC (Zn) 3.77 mg/kg

MANGANESE (Mn) 0.96 mg/kg

IRON (Fe) 11.57 mg/kg

MICRO-NUTRIENT LEVEL

BORON (Bo) 2.82 mg/kg

CALCIUM (Ca) 379.00ppm

MAGNESIUM (Mg) 427.70 mg/kg

SULPHUR (S) 2988 mg/L

FURTHER RESEARCH LED TO THE

DISCOVERY OF

PLANT GROWTH HORMONES

PGR QUANTITY (mg/liter)

AUXINS 8.49

CYTOKININS 41.16

GIBBERELLINS 145.64

22 October 2012

SEAPLANT NUTRIENTS

TROPICAL VS COLD WATER SPECIES

� All the work on sea plant based nutrients has emergedfrom Europe and North America and the focus hasbeen on cold water algae such as giant kelp andAscophyllum nodusum.

� Though they have demonstrated success, have reallynot become main stream because of their pricing.

� Seaplant-based nutrients helps in improvingproductivity of rainfed agriculture as PGR’s have amajor role in breaking dormancy reviving plants understress. This has been demonstrated in ICRISAT trial.This could be due to the presence of polyaminoacids.

� Needed to compare Kappaphycus constituentsagainst cold water species.

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KAPPAPHYCUS EXTRACT

VS

ASCOPHYLLUM NODOSUM PRODUCTS

PGR AQUASAP Kappaphycus

Ascophyllum 1 Ascophyllum 2

AUXINS 8.49 10.44 10.92

CYTOKININS 41.16 76.86 10.95

GIBBERELLINS 145.64 5.57 4.46

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*Sea plant based nutrients available in the Indian market formulated form raw

materials sourced from N America and Europe

YIELD IMPROVEMENT USING AQUASAPKAPPAPHYCUS EXTRACT

CROP INCREASE IN YIELD (%) TRIAL LOCATION

BROAD ACRE CROPS

CORN 16.1 PEPSI FA RMS

PADDY 18.0 MA DRAS UNIV ERSITY

BARLEY 11.0; 22.0 4 FARMER FIELDS; RAJASTHAN GOVT. FARM

WHEAT 20.2(’05-‘06); 13.5(’06-‘07) PEPSI FA RMS; 5 FARMER FIELDS

SUGARCANE 40.1(‘06); 30.0(‘07) RENUKA SUGAR; 1000ac FA RMER FIELDS IN K’TKA

MUSTARD 7.2 RAJASTHA N GOVT. FARM

VEGETABLES

BRINJAL 22.1; 23.0 PEPSI FA RMS; FARMER FIELDS

TOMATO 20.0; 18.0 CLEA N FOODS; PEPSI FA RMS

POTATO 26.0; 25.0 TECHNO TUBERS; AGRI UNI.,W.B.

CAPSICUM 19.1; 24.0 PEPSI FA RMS; FARMER FIELDS

CHILLI 18.0; 9.0 CLEA N FOODS; FARMER FIELDS

LEGUMES

SOYABEAN 13.6(‘05); 15.3(‘06) SOYA PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION

GRAM 12.5; 16.0 5 FARMER FIELDS; RAJASTHAN GOVT. FARM

PULSES 12.0 FARMER FIELDS, RAJASTHAN

PEANUT 14.5 MA DRAS UNIV ERSITY

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TRIALS WITH SUGARCANE

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CONTROL PLOT TREATED

TRIALS WITH SUGARCANE14

CONTROL PLOT TREATED

Trial With Triveni Engineering and Industries Ltd. (TEIL)

� In 2009 large scale trials were conducted with TEIL (U.P) over an area of

7000 hectares across 5 locations

MilakNarayanpur

Rani Nangal Sabitgarh Khatauli Deoband

21.81%

24.35%

32.87%

15.30%

7.14%

Average Increase in Yield across 5 Locations 20.32%

22 October 2012

TRIALS ON SOYABEAN WITH

ICRISAT IN BHOPAL, OCTOBER 2009

The results shown below are from two locations in Bhopal,Vidisha and Anandpur. The following observations were made

during our field visit:

� Early maturing

� More seedling per pod

� Luxurious Leaf Growth in Treated plants

� The Plant Height was significantly higher in the treated plots

� The root stock and stem of the plant were much better developed and thicker in treated plot

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TRIALS ON SOYABEAN - ICRISAT 17

CONTROL PLANT TREATED

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT FOR

ANIMALS

� Seaweed based nutritional supplements available inthe international market triggered the exploration.

� Benchmarked amino acid profile against commerciallyavailable products worldwide based on cold waterspecies.

� Essential amino acid profile of tropical Sea-plantextracts such as Kappaphycus are significantlysuperior compared to widely marketed seaweedbased nutritional products.

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AMINO ACID PROFILE – Competitive Analysis (mg/100gm)

AMINO ACID AQUASAP(Natural Form)

ASCOPHYLLUM 1 ASCOPHYLLUM 2

THREONINE 9.38 1.98 1.72

CYSTINE 4.12 0.92 0.86

VALINE 13.25 2.68 2.18

METHIONINE 3.25 0.68 0.72

ISOLEUCINE 3.18 0.66 0.63

LEUCINE 19.76 5.45 4.85

TYROSINE 7.83 1.42 0.96

PHERYLALANINE 4.23 0.86 0.72

HISTIDINE 1.52 0.28 0.12

LYSINE 13.25 2.83 2.18

ARGININE 38.76 9.76 8.38

TRYPTOPHAN 7.28 0.18 0.14

PROLINE 14.52 3.28 2.96

ALANINE 21.65 4.62 4.28

ASPARTIC ACID 25.18 5.23 4.86

GLYCINE 18.60 3.92 3.18

GLUTAMINE 22.30 5.26 4.36

SERINE 12.62 2.38 1.86

22 October 2012

TRIALS ON POULTRY

� 10% increase in weight of the birds in 45 days feedingtrials.

� 5% reduction in mortality rate

� Significant improvement in immune-modulationresponse of broiler chickens

Micro nutrients and amino acid profile coupled with theresults achieved on poultry trials points towards seaplantextract being used as a nutritional supplement for humanbeings… a lot more rigorous research and clinical trialsneeded to unveil this new dimension.

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EXPLORING NEW AVENUES…

� Seaweeds have the potential to not only beused in a variety of industries but have thepotential to be used for multiple applicationsfrom the same raw material.

� Industries where seaweeds can be usedbeyond hydrocolloids are:

� Nutraceuticals

� Pharmaceuticals

� Agricultural Applications

� Cosmetics

� Petroleum

� Energy Source

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WAY FORWARD

� Collaborative work for agricultural and animaltrials to any interested organization or institution.

� Partnerships to expand to other industrialapplications.

� Can help in acquiring the technology fromCSMCRI, India.

� Willing to partner research institutions to widenthe scope of enquiry.

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