How Premium Seas and Callaghan Innovation’s Biotechnologies Group commercialised a seaweed-derived bioactive
At a glance
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- Premium Seas collaborated with Callaghan Innovation’s Biotechnologies Group to develop and scale a process for concentrating and drying a fucoidan-rich seaweed extract.
- The collaboration produced a freeze-dried seaweed powder prototype and a validated pathway to bring it to market.
- The project demonstrates how emerging businesses can accelerate product development by leveraging an external R&D team, reducing risk and time to market.
“Working with the Biotechnologies Group enabled us to take a promising extract and access expertise and R&D facilities to develop it to commercial scale. The pilot trials laid the groundwork for launching our premium seaweed supplement into global markets.”
Lucas Evans, CEO, Premium Seas
Unlocking seaweed bioactives for nutraceuticals
Seaweeds, particularly brown macroalgae, are an abundant natural source of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. Among these, the bioactive compound fucoidan has attracted growing global demand for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiviral, and anticancer properties.
Recognising the opportunity to harness this nutrient-rich resource, Premium Seas selected mozuku, a Japanese brown seaweed known for its high fucoidan content, as the foundation for its product. Premium Seas partnered with the Biotechnologies Group and the University of Waikato to transform its early-stage research into a scalable process capable of producing a highly concentrated seaweed extract for commercial nutraceutical applications.
Technical development journey
The Biotechnologies Group’s Process Engineering team used membrane filtration technologies to concentrate and purify bioactives from the seaweed extract. This membrane-based approach offers a sustainable, solvent-free method of concentration, a key specialty of the Biotechnologies Group.
By optimising parameters such as pressure, temperature, and flow conditions, the Process Engineering team helped Premium Seas enhance both the yield and purity of its fucoidan extract. Following concentration, the extract underwent freeze-drying to produce a stable, high-quality ingredient suitable for nutraceutical formulations.
Commercial outcome
The collaboration resulted in the successful production of a freeze-dried seaweed powder - the first market-ready prototype for Premium Seas. By leveraging external R&D expertise and pilot-scale facilities, Premium Seas was able to shorten development timelines and reduce technical risk, achieving in months what could otherwise have taken years in-house. Premium Seas has since launched its fucoidan extract as a key ingredient in the Purify Me product Pure Flow - a New Zealand-made nutritional supplement.
“This project shows how external scientific and process engineering expertise can turn promising natural-product ideas into commercially viable solutions in one streamlined pathway.”
Dr Paul Rose, Group Leader, Biotechnologies Group
Your R&D partner to bring products from the lab to launch
If your business is exploring natural product ideas or facing scale-up challenges, get in touch to learn how our facilities and expertise can accelerate your pathway to market. We provide comprehensive extraction, upstream and downstream processing solutions to bring your product to life.
