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Abstract
The use of seaweeds in the human diet has a long history in Asia and has now been increasing also in the western world. Concurrent with this trend, there is a corresponding increase in cultivation and harvesting for commercial production. Edible seaweed is a heterogenous product category including species within the green, red, and brown macroalgae. Moreover, the species are utilized on their own or in combinatorial food products, eaten fresh or processed by a variety of technologies. The present review summarizes available literature with respect to microbiological food safety and quality of seaweed food products, including processing and other factors controlling these parameters, and emerging trends to improve on the safety, utilization, quality, and storability of seaweeds. The over- or misuse of antimicrobials and the concurrent development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria is a current worldwide health concern. The role of seaweeds in the development of AMR and the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes is an underexplored field of research and is discussed in that context. Legislation and guidelines relevant to edible seaweed are also discussed.
Highlights
The global seaweed industry is worth more than USD 6 billion per year, corresponding to approx. 12 million tons/year in volume, of which about 85% comprises food products for human consumption [1]
This was demonstrated by a probability distribution model for levels of B. cereus in RTE kimbab which estimated that contamination levels at the time of consumption ranged from −3.63 log cfu/g to 7.31 log cfu/g when the model parameters storage time (2.31 ± 4.63 h) and temperature (22.5 ± 3.17 ◦C) [41], and conservative initial B. cereus concentrations (−4.85–0.69 log cfu/g [undetectable]) [42] were based on relevant data surveyed from stores selling RTE kimbab in Korea [43]
Many antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) originate from natural environments [105], and environments influenced by anthropogenic activities as waste water discharge and run-off from agricultural land fertilized by animal manure, are considered hotspots for the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) [106]
Summary
The global seaweed industry is worth more than USD 6 billion per year, corresponding to approx. 12 million tons/year in volume, of which about 85% comprises food products for human consumption [1]. Owing to the fact that there will be an increasing need for protein food sources to accommodate the anticipated growth in the world’s population, the seaweed industry (both aquaculture and wild-harvested) is expected to grow since seaweed is a sustainable food source. A high bacterial count of seaweed is indicative of the age and health of the plant, but primarily of the microbial load and composition of the surrounding water masses. A Norwegian study concluded that— seaweed is densely covered by bacteria, including potential pathogens that may be challenging during processing or improper storage—the risk of macroalgae as the origin of foodborne diseases cannot be expected higher than for other non-filtering marine organisms, including fish [7]. The presence of resistant bacteria in the human food supply chain is documented [31], but the role of seaweed is not yet clear This represents a data gap that warrants more research. The review focuses on human pathogens that may challenge food safety, and not pathogens that may exclusively be detrimental to the plant itself
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