10180041A Pressing Issue - Sustainably Sourced High Value Products from Seaweed Brine.ClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKUK Healthcare costs, both direct and indirect, increase remorselessly absorbing tens of billion £ pa (Obesity ~ £10 B, Coronary Disease ~ £25 B), and whilst treatments and outcomes improve, the validity of different approaches is recognised -- prevention better, and cheaper, than cure. Individual responsibility matters, albeit governments are acutely aware of public antipathy to a "Nanny State", hence preventatives should be "as painless as possible" There is a significant trend from Synthetic to Natural products and seaweeds have long been viewed as a positive source of natural preventatives (e.g. Alginate in Anti-reflux medicines) Seaweed processing to maximise recovery of beneficial products combines skill and art and "seaweed biorefining" is of the moment and the future. Marine Biopolymers Ltd (MBL) is the most advanced UK company doing this, with industry leading and patented technology, but not yet 100% complete Its overall process has 3 sub-streams, one is a liquid one (brine) and MBL's project focus is to elevate this from a near waste material into 3 separate high value products, namely Fucoidan, Mannitol, and High K "healthy salt" To date, MBL's work on the brine has been limited but this project seeks to develop brine treatment to defined and commercially viable products, including identification of any final process optimisations required, especially in purity and regulatory requirements The UK has globally significant natural seaweed stocks, and the most abundant species is the kelp Laminaria hyperborea. This seaweed is MBL's focus, especially the Stem part (\> 60% of total). Its aim is to develop a UK seaweed biorefinery meeting the needs for "naturals" not only at home but abroad This project targets a clearly defined process to purify Fucoidan, a bioactive polysaccharide, from _Laminaria hyperborea_ Stem brine and enable concurrent recovery of a potassium rich mineral fraction. (The further target is Mannitol, a bioactive sugar also present). A dual-stream approach will maximise the brine's value potential through recovery of the 3 products Fucoidan possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gut health improvement properties, and represents a growing market opportunity across nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications. The High K salt (seaweeds have a naturally high K:Na ratio) has potential as a healthier sodium-replacement salt Benefit potential is significant from growth of the UK seaweed/seaweed processing industry, creation of jobs, through "green" processing (UK Net Zero aims), to positive impacts on public health