Seaweed processing startup raises funds to expand ingredients production
Edinburgh-based firm focused on fucoidan for supplement, cosmetics, and food markets
An Edinburgh-headquartered seaweed-based supplement, cosmetic and food ingredient startup - BioMara - has secured US $150,000 (£119,000) to advance fucoidan production to meet growing demand.
Fucoidan, a protective long chain sulphated polysaccharide found in various species of seaweed, is utilised in a range of therapeutic health care preparations, being incorporated as high value ingredients in nutritional, medical device, skincare and dermatological products.
Archaeological digs in Chile have uncovered evidence of the use of fucoidan-containing seaweeds dating to circa 12,000 BC, although fucoidan itself was not isolated and described until the early 1900s.
90% farmed seaweed
BioMara says it extracts high-quality fucoidan from brown seaweed using a unique process that maximises the value of seaweed by isolating multiple healthy products from the same input biomass. Its patent pending extraction technology is optimised to ensure fucoidan retains its bioactivity.
Around 90% of the seaweed BioMara uses is farmed and 10% wild harvested, and the company is working with a number of partners on pilot projects using UK farmed seaweed, along with a smaller R&D project looking at wild harvested seaweed.
"The ambition is to produce at scale to meet the demand, and we will source both farmed and sustainably wild harvested seaweed depending on the products ordered and volume required by our customers," BioMara chief executive Jay Dignan told Fish Farming Expert.
He added that the company's innovative approach reduces waste and enhances scalability, aligning with industry demands for efficient and price-competitive seaweed ingredient production.
“This funding comes at a pivotal time as we build relationships with customers who are eager to incorporate our Seafibrex high-fibre ingredient as well as our Thalivra and Revyntra fucoidan extracts into their products,” said Dignan. “Our focus now is on building momentum - expanding production, increasing sales which will underpin the product’s success in the food and wellness markets.”
Raised more than £1m in total
In addition to enhancing production, BioMara said the investment will also support building independent clinical evidence for its products in the rapidly growing food and wellness natural ingredients markets.
Thalivra is a neutraceutical ingredient being researched for prebiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral benefits, and Revyntra is a skin care ingredient undergoing trials for anti-ageing, antioxidant, and collagenase inhibition properties. Collagenase is an enzyme that breaks down collagen.
Since its launch, BioMara has raised more than £520,000 in private funding and secured more than £600,000 in non-dilutive grant funding through competitive research and innovation programmes. Total funding to date is north of £1.1m.
