Biotechnology and the red seaweed polysaccharide industry: Status, needs and prospects

Significant amounts of marine macroalgal (seaweed) polysaccharides are used in food, pharmaceuticals and other products for human consumption. Thus, the global seaweed polysaccharide industry operates in a highly regulated environment. Genetic manipulation of macroalgae to alter composition or growth characteristics may lead to products that do not fall within the current regulations: research that is readily translatable to industrial application is generally restricted to seaweed cultivation and processing and new applications of the approved polysaccharides. There is a great need, however, for research into the genome structure and metabolic pathways of commercially important marine macroalgae. This pre-competitive research may not be immediately applicable to the seaweed polysaccharide industry but is critical for sustaining future commercial growth.