The project is to expand a small business in Molokai, a rural community in Hawaii, to develop products based on one of the island's most under utilized resources, seaweeds. Seaweeds are marketed as fresh sea-vegetables in local markets. However, these markets are limited; and this proposal includes the development and marketing of new, seaweed-based products The focus is on the production products based on agar, phycocolloid extract of red seaweeds. These products will be specialty products for use where high quality is desired: cosmetics, health foods and gourmet foods. The seaweeds used for producing Molokai agar are organically grown in clean tropical waters and sun-in-dried along the beach. The agar is extracted without the use of harsh chemicals. This results in a clean, natural product that can be used for the development of several seaweed-based products. OBJECTIVES: Four categories of technical objectives are to be addressed: 1) algal production and harvesting; 2) post-harvest treatment to improve quality; 3) agar processing and evaluation; and 4) new product development. Specific objectives are to determine:: a) yield and properties of agar from Molokai seaweeds; b) post-harvest treatments that can be used to increase yield and quality of seaweed harvests and agar extracts; c) sustainable seaweed yields that can be economically harvested from wild populations (Gracilaria salicornia) and from managed populations (G. parvispora) in aquaculture drainage ditches; d) market strategies best suited to products based on these seaweeds and their agar extracts. APPROACH: The objectives will be achieved through the efforts of a multi-disciplinary research and development team The applicant will contract technical consultants from the Environmental Research Laboratory of the University of Arizona. The University consultants are senior faculty members with extensive experience in seaweed culture and a long history of research in the Pacific Islands. In addition, the applicant will hire Axion Business Solutions, of Chicago to aid in product development and marketing. Together the team will develop methods for harvesting and processing Molokai seaweed; improve agar extraction technique; develop new agar-based products; and develop marketing strategies for these products. PROGRESS: 2005/09 TO 2006/08 Summary of progress to date Product development--A variety of seaweed-based products have been developed with Hawaiian themes. These include: agar-based energy gels with tropical flavors; glycerin soaps containing seaweed and or agar; lye and oil based bar soap and liquid soaps containing agar and/or seaweed; moisturizing creams containing agar; and a seaweed-based mosquito repellent lotion. Markets for the un-processed dried seaweed have also been identified. Resource assessment--Natural resource assessment has included: determination of the distribution and densities of the seaweed Gracilaria salicornia in the near shore waters of Molokai; the reduction in seaweed densities in harvested areas; the growth rates and nitrogen contents of the seaweed thalli in beds suitable for harvests; seasonality of the natural agar content in G. salicornia and in comparison to G. parvispora; and determination of optimal percentages of agar to be used in the various products being developed. Marketing Markets for the various products have been examined and several potentially lucrative marketing strategies have been identified. A web site is under development that will allow Molokai seaweed products to be marketing and directly sold via the internet with host cost of 3% of revenues. IMPACT: 2005/09 TO 2006/08 The project extends the potential of sustainable seaweed aquaculture, which has been developed and proven on Molokai over the past 10 years. By developing new products and markets these production systems will become economically stable as well as sustainable from the environmental perspective. In addition, the project involves a species of seaweed that is currently seen as a nuisance in areas where it is abundant. By developing products based on this alga, it will become a natural resource rather than a detriment to the coastal environment
