London BioScience Innovation Centre
2 Royal College Street, London NW1 0NH
Seaweed-based functional materials
Macro-algae are among the most productive biomass sources on Earth. We harness their unique polysaccharide chemistries — agar, carrageenan, fucoidan, and ulvan — using tailored enzymatic depolymerisation to unlock value for bioplastics, cosmetics, and antimicrobials.
Active R&DSeaweeds are cultivated in coastal and open-ocean aquaculture systems with minimal freshwater, land, and no synthetic fertilisers. Our proprietary enzyme cocktails depolymerise specific seaweed polysaccharides into defined oligomers and monomers.
Three verticals emerge: (1) Agar- and carrageenan-derived oligosaccharides as functional film-formers for bioplastic matrices; (2) fucoidan and phlorotannin fractions with antimicrobial and antiviral bioactivity; (3) alginate-based cosmetic actives with proven skin-barrier efficacy.
| Seaweed polymer | Enzyme | Product class | Application | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agar (red algae) | Agarase | Agarooligosaccharides | Bioplastic film-former | ✓ Biodegradable, tunable Tg |
| κ-Carrageenan | κ-Carrageenase | Neo-carrageenan oligomers | Crosslinker / gel matrix | ✓ Sulphated bioactivity |
| Fucoidan (brown algae) | Fucoidan lyase | Fucoidan fractions | Antimicrobial, antiviral | ✓ Broad-spectrum activity |
| Alginate | Alginate lyase | Oligo-alginates | Skin-barrier cosmetic | ✓ Proven moisturisation |
| Ulvan (green algae) | Ulvan lyase | Ulvan sulphate oligomers | Antimicrobial / biofilm | ✓ Unique rhamnose backbone |
Contact us to discuss supply, collaboration, or custom fractions.