5s4b: Possible strategies to cope with enhanced contaminant levels in Saccharina Lattisima in food and feed applications

Abstract

n the past years Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR) has been performing several research projects on the presence of possible harmful substances in seaweed cultivated in the Dutch estuaries and coastal waters. Besides a general screening on some substances like natural toxins, pesticides, radioactivity, dioxins and PAH’s a more detailed survey has been performed on the heavy metals and iodine concentrations. Over time, results have shown that the contaminant levels of heavy metals (like arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) and iodine not only vary in time, but also vary between the different cultivation locations and even within the same seaweed cultivation site. Following these results, literature research was performed to extend the knowledge on seaweed growth and thereby provide insight into the uptake of these undesirable substances and its relation to the nutrient levels in the environment.