Vergeet tofu en quorn: Waarom zeewier de schakel is naar een duurzame eiwittransitie

Elias
Scheldeman

 

Door: Elias Scheldeman

Gebaseerd op masterproefonderzoek aan de Universiteit Gent

 

Als we denken aan alternatieven voor vlees, komen we al snel uit bij soja uit Zuid-Amerika of andere plantaardige bronnen geteeld op het land. Maar wat als de duurzame eiwitbron van de toekomst gewoon voor onze eigen kust drijft? Masteronderzoek aan de Universiteit Gent toont aan dat zeesla (Ulva), een veel voorkomend groenwier in de Noordzee en bij uitbreiding ter wereld, boordevol hoogwaardige eiwitten én gezondheidsvoordelen zit. Toch laten we deze groene goudmijn momenteel links liggen.

Wie aan zeewier denkt, denkt waarschijnlijk aan een rolletje sushi of aan glibberige planten op het strand. Toch consumeert u onbewust al dagelijks zeewier. De westerse levensmiddelenindustrie gebruikt al op grote schaal zeewier, maar vrijwel uitsluitend voor technologische doeleinden. Hoewel rood- en bruinwieren aanzienlijke hoeveelheden eiwitten bevatten, worden ze vandaag vooral geoogst voor hun hydrocolloïden (zoals alginaat en carrageen). Deze dienen als verdikkingsmiddelen of stabilisatoren in sauzen, ijs en desserts maar worden evengoed in cosmeticaproducten gebruikt.

Groenwieren, specifiek het geslacht Ulva, worden in industriële toepassingen grotendeels over het hoofd gezien. Dit is een gemiste kans. Ulva is wereldwijd verspreid, veruit het meest abundante groenwier ter wereld en bezit, zo blijkt nu, een hoogwaardig eiwitprofiel met alle essentiële aminozuren.

 

Diversiteit aan macroalgen in de Noordzee.

 

Europa loopt achterop

Cijfers van de Voedsel- en Landbouworganisatie van de VN (FAO) tonen hoe hard Europa achterloopt:

  • Wereldwijde productie: De totale wereldwijde oogst van algen en zeewier bedraagt bijna 38 miljoen ton per jaar.
  • Aziatische dominantie: Maar liefst 97% hiervan wordt in Azië geproduceerd, waar zeewier een grootschalige industrie kent.
  • Europese achterhoede: Europa is goed voor slechts 0,8% van de wereldwijde productie. Deze marginale opbrengst (circa 300.000 ton) komt bovendien bijna volledig uit wildpluk in plaats van efficiënte kweek.

Door onze eigen Noordzee te benutten voor lokale grootschalige kweek, kan de EU haar afhankelijkheid van plantaardige eiwitimport drastisch verkleinen.

De spijsvertering nabootsen via het INFOGEST-protocol

Om de werkelijke nutritionele waarde van Ulva-eiwitten te bepalen, volstaat het meten van het totale eiwitgehalte niet; de eiwitten moeten ook biologisch beschikbaar zijn voor het menselijk lichaam. In dit onderzoek werd de menselijke spijsvertering gesimuleerd met het internationaal erkende INFOGEST 2.0-protocol.

Dit is een gestandaardiseerde laboratoriummethode die de reis van voedsel door onze mond, maag en dunne darm nabootst. Door stapsgewijs de juiste menselijke enzymen, zuren en temperaturen toe te passen in labo-omstandigheden, wordt nauwkeurig gemeten in welke mate eiwitten daadwerkelijk worden afgebroken tot opneembare aminozuren.

 

Workflow van het onderzoek.

 

Gezondheidsvoordelen uit de reageerbuis: Bioactieve peptiden

Het onderzoek leverde daarnaast interessante nutritionele inzichten op: tijdens deze enzymatische afbraak in de gesimuleerde maag en darm gebeurt er meer dan alleen vertering. Wanneer Ulva-eiwitten in stukjes worden geknipt, komen er kleine eiwitfragmenten vrij die bioactieve peptiden worden genoemd.

Onderzoek heeft uitgewezen dat deze specifieke peptiden actieve functies in ons lichaam kunnen vervullen zodra ze zijn opgenomen. Eerder soortgelijk onderzoek toonde onder andere een anti-diabetische werking aan en een effectieve werking tegen een hoge bloeddruk (ACE-remming). Ulva levert dus niet alleen bouwstoffen, maar produceert tijdens de vertering ook actieve componenten die onze gezondheid direct kunnen ondersteunen.

Kijken voorbij de genetica

Het onderzoek nam vier verschillende Ulva-soorten onder de loep (twee Europese en twee Zuid-Koreaanse soorten). Uit de resultaten blijkt dat de eiwitverteerbaarheid enorm varieert: van matig 38% tot sterk 83%.

Het vernieuwende van dit onderzoek ligt in het feit dat het niet stopt bij de conclusie dat één specifieke soort genetisch "beter" presteert. Het onderzoek toont aan dat de biologische beschikbaarheid van het eiwit wordt bepaald door de interactie met andere stoffen in het wier, zoals suikers en fenolen.

Deze componenten binden zich aan de eiwitten en vormen een structurele barrière voor onze spijsverteringsenzymen. 

Industrieel nut

Uit de resultaten van dit onderzoek blijkt dat focussen op één specifieke "super-soort" een valkuil is voor producenten, omdat de kwaliteit bij een volgende oogst plotseling kan afwijken. Dit heeft twee directe gevolgen voor de ontwikkeling van een Europese industrie: 

  1. Gecontroleerde kweek is noodzakelijk: Om een constante eiwitkwaliteit en betrouwbare productielijnen te garanderen, moet de industrie inzetten op gestandaardiseerde aquacultuur in plaats van wildpluk. Zo kunnen de omgevingsfactoren die de suikers en fenolen beïnvloeden, worden beheerst.
  2. Extractietechnieken moeten gericht zijn op matrix-afbraak: De verwerking van het wier moet gebruikmaken van milde, gerichte extractietechnieken die specifiek de bindingen tussen eiwitten, suikers en fenolen verbreken om de biologische beschikbaarheid te maximaliseren.
Conclusie

Dit onderzoek bewijst dat we de complexiteit van zeewier niet mogen onderschatten. Eiwitverteerbaarheid is geen vaststaand biologisch feit, maar het resultaat van een dynamisch samenspel tussen de soort en zijn omgeving. Dankzij deze nieuwe inzichten beschikt de sector nu over de concrete biochemische randvoorwaarden om de stap te zetten van onvoorspelbare wildpluk naar een stabiele, hoogwaardige industrie.

De toekomst van onze eiwittransitie ligt dus niet enkel op het land, maar ook voor onze eigen kust. Het is tijd om in de Noordzee te gaan oogsten: zeesla is klaar om van een over het hoofd gezien groenwier te transformeren tot een lokale, niet meer weg te denken plantaardige eiwitbron op ons bord.


 

 

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Universiteit of Hogeschool
Universiteit Gent
Thesis jaar
2026
Promotor(en) en begeleiders
Ilias Semmouri, Mahta Mirzaei, Reyhaneh Ebrahimi