Student receives award for master’s thesis on seaweed cultivation

Congratulations! How does it feel to receive the award?

“In the beginning it felt a bit surreal, because I know a few people who also submitted their theses, and I read them – they were amazing. So I didn’t think that I would win. Now I’m very happy and very honoured! I’m very thankful to my supervisors Kristoffer Stedt and Sophie Steinhagen at the Department of Marine Sciences, who were very supportive, especially during my experiments at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory.”

What is your master’s thesis about

“Basically, it’s about optimizing the cultivation of the green seaweed Ulva for food purposes. I worked with two Ulva species from the Skagerrak and exposed them to different environments with manipulated salinity and nutrients. One of the nutrients I used was herring processing water, which is a nutrient-rich byproduct from the herring industry that usually goes to waste.”

What were your main findings?

“I found that Ulva grown in low-salinity environments together with herring processing water had a higher nutritional value, making it more comparable to terrestrial plant-based proteins. What was particularly interesting was that we could reach up to 40 percent protein by dry weight, which is comparable to soy. I also saw that one of the species, Ulva fenestrata, grew well even in low-salinity conditions, which means it has potential for cultivation in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea.”

What are you currently doing?

“Right now, I’m doing an internship at Chalmers University of Technology with Ingrid Undeland in food and nutrition science. I’m continuing to work a bit with the samples I used for my thesis, looking into different biochemical compounds such as iron and free amino acids that contribute to the umami taste in seaweed. In the future, I would love to do a PhD in this field.”

How will you use the prize money?

“I haven’t decided yet. I have a friend from the Sea and Society master’s programme at the University of Gothenburg who is doing an internship with the UN in Rome. I’d really like to visit her for New Year!”