In an effort to develop a new food for a particular sea snail, a team of researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) grew a strain of bacon-flavored seaweed.
According to NBC News, the seaweed will be useful for its high protein and vitamin content. The new strain is of a red seaweed called dulse and the researchers noted humans have been eating it for years.
"The original goal was to create a super-food for abalone, because high-quality abalone is treasured, especially in Asia," Chris Langdon, a researcher at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center, said in a news release. "We were able to grow dulse-fed abalone at rates that exceeded those previously reported in the literature. There always has been an interest in growing dulse for human consumption, but we originally focused on using dulse as a food for abalone."
The researchers said the main benefits of dulse is that is grows quickly and the bacon flavor comes out simply by cooking it.
"In Europe, they add the powder to smoothies, or add flakes onto food," Langdon said. "There hasn't been a lot of interest in using it in a fresh form. But this stuff is pretty amazing. When you fry it, which I have done, it tastes like bacon, not seaweed. And it's a pretty strong bacon flavor.
"The dulse grows using a water recirculation system.
"Theoretically, you could create an industry in eastern Oregon almost as easily as you could along the coast with a bit of supplementation. You just need a modest amount of seawater and some sunshine."
