Wading through the tide pools, we followed Makanahele Emmsley closely as she pointed out 15 different species of seaweed. Contrary to what the mind’s eye typically conjures when thinking of seaweed, here they presented deep hues of white, brown, green and red, and came in all shapes and sizes. But we were in search of one species far more remarkable than one would assume: Asparagopsis.
According to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Asparagopsis taxiformis, also known as Limu Kohu in Hawaiian, is "one of the most prized and popular algae used for food in the state." And according to Makanahele, this was known as the “supreme seaweed” among her entire community. We collected samples of this particular seaweed to bring back to the labs of Symbrosia, where they would then go through an extensive process to be transformed into their final form.
The Symbrosia team spends their days transforming this very algae to an organic product intended for consumption by livestock; one that sharply reduces their methane emissions called “SeaGraze.” Remarkably, incorporating just a sprinkle of SeaGraze into their feed can cut methane emissions by over 90 percent!
A brief five-minute journey from the tide pools to Symbrosia’s lab marked our deep dive into the revolutionary process of converting seaweed into groundbreaking technology. Wild seaweed lacks sufficient biomass for harvesting, so Symbrosia has alternatively turned to aquaculture—farming the algae to meet demand without stripping the ocean's natural resources or resilience.
Symbrosia starts by taking in the Asparagopsis taxiformis samples and letting it transform into dense biomass in a wet lab which is then tumbled in massive containers in an outside lab, until it's ready to be freeze dried and then with time you get the finished product: SeaGraze! If that seems like a lot—and you’re hardly following me right now—it's because it is DEFINITELY a lot. But, let me break it down a little more concisely step by step the way the team did for us.
While conducting a wild harvest, the team only selects 16 samples to be taken into the wet lab. Here, they are handled by some of the biggest brains of this operation, Carl Yoshida (the Cultivation Lab Lead) and his trusted assistant, Kyler Shigematsu (the Algae Lab Technician.) At the heart of their pioneering seaweed cultivation process, Carl and the rest of the Symbrosia team refer to each piece of baby seaweed as a “puff.” Why? For no other reason than the seaweed’s close resemblance to a tiny puffball!
This cultivation system, developed through heavy trial and error, represents one of the first of its kind for commercial purposes. The team employs a meticulous sterile filtration process for the deep sea water used, ensuring each puff is nurtured in the cleanest environment possible once plucked by the harvest team. They manually dose the water with nutrients weekly, tailoring the mixture to the specific needs of the seaweed.
Each puff fragment, after being heavily dissected, cleaned and approved, is placed in a well to be cultivated for about three weeks. Once a puff shows promising growth, it is gently separated using forceps, emphasizing the need for what Carl called a “smooth, buttery pull” to avoid damaging it.
The cultivation continues with a semi-continuous flask system with air and CO2 injected on to maintain optimal pH levels, a delicate balance they managed to achieve after much trial and error. After three weeks in flasks, the biomass is whisked to encourage branch growth before being transferred to outdoor production.
This stage is crucial for achieving the desired density and preparing the seaweed for what the team calls “outdoor pads,” which will foster further growth. Basically, with time, care and nurturing, more biomass can be created to then be transferred to bigger carrying systems. Owning his role as the mad-scientist he is, Carl said, “I’ve been here about a year and six months. There’s a lot of biomass we are moving into the pads. Today, we are all about boosting expansion, that’s my goal. That’s everyone’s goal.”
And once these babies are ready for their next chapter, they are out of the wet lab and into the outdoor pads, which was our next destination to meet with Hoku Hudman, another algae technician. It’s here that the puffs undergo a multi-day acclimation process in a closed system. This stage facilitates enhanced media exchange, with water being constantly pumped in and out, significantly increasing the density of the algae. Remarkably, within just a week, the algae assumes a deeper color and begins to form into the desired puff shape the team is looking for—dense, rich and full.
The setup housing the puffs outside on the pads are called the photo-bioreactor (aka PBR). It’s here that the algae is exposed to natural elements, especially sunlight, mimicking nature’s process to drive puff growth. The goal out here is to enhance the production of bromoform—a crucial compound in reducing methane emissions that’s found within algae. Bromoform sacs within the algae are considered the ultimate marker of success, making this one aspect the most essential component of Symbrosia’s research.
As Hoku walked us through the pads, he could tell we were in awe of what they’d created. Our whole team paced the pads asking constant questions, recognizing the multifaceted ingenuity that must’ve been needed to create this magnum opus of aquaculture. Hoku explained what we had already concluded ourselves since being onsite:
“There are straight up geniuses here who build this stuff. And I get to work alongside them every single day. I dropped out of school, it wasn’t for me. But I’m here, constantly learning and working with the best. I’m thankful for that, as this is the first time in my 10 year career that I’m actually stoked to come to work every day. I’m making a difference, which is huge for me, and everyone else that you’ll meet at Symbrosia.”
Moving to another closed-door lab area with Hoku, we found ourselves handling what they called "fresh weight" seaweed that was getting ready to be freeze-dried. This is the last step the puffs undergo before being transformed into their final form of livestock feed pellets, also known as SeaGraze. This final product works by inhibiting methane formation during the enteric fermentation process in a cow's digestive system, without hindering the animal's ability to gain weight or produce milk. It effectively blocks the combination of H2 and CO2 that typically forms methane, naturally reducing methanogens through digestion.
The processing of SeaGraze into its final form utilizes 100% renewable energy, maintaining the bioavailability of over 90 micro and macronutrients found in the seaweed. Safe for all livestock, including cows, sheep, goats and buffalo, SeaGraze is a pioneering step towards reducing the environmental impact of farming while maintaining high standards of animal health and agricultural productivity. Today, Symbrosia is selling SeaGraze to a select few farmers and seeing some pretty promising results already. With ambition to rollout the product to 1 million cows by the end of 2030, the team is working tirelessly to perfect its cutting-edge, seaweed-loving technology.
But who came up with this wild idea in the first place? Enter the Founder & CEO, Alexia Akbay. In sitting down with her, we learned that it all started with a desire to create something of withstanding value that directly took on the climate crisis. Transitioning from academia, where research often remained within lab walls, Alexia sought to make a tangible impact through innovation, particularly in the food and climate change sector.
Recognizing the constant demand for meat, she aimed to explore sustainable solutions, leading to the reverse engineering of seaweed's special value amidst growing traction in the field. As a Forbes 30 Under 30 2022 honoree in Social Impact, she founded Symbrosia, combining her green chemistry background and entrepreneurial spirit towards climate innovation management. And now, she’s quite literally off to the races, selling a product that strategically and innovatively reduces livestock methane emissions by over 90%.
"We recognize that we're just one small piece in a vast framework of climate issues out there,” Alexia said. “Our goal is to change the industry's perspective and shift dynamics slowly but surely, without seeking a major overhaul. It's an uncertain journey ahead, but I feel like I’ve surrounded myself with the best possible team to take this on. We're excited to see where all of this leads."
By the end of our time with Symbrosia, we had met half the team, got an up-close-and-personal look into their everyday lives and had a newfound appreciation for their tireless work (and for seaweed obviously). Every person we met shared the same sentiment—that they genuinely wanted to be here. It was no surprise that this group of straight-up geniuses were all eager to contribute to something bigger than themselves. All in it to support the greater good. And in it for the puffs, of course.
In the face of the escalating climate crisis, the need for innovative minds at forward-thinking companies like Symbrosia has never been more critical. For those yearning to contribute to a pivotal shift in addressing environmental challenges, companies dedicated to crafting sustainable solutions can offer a meaningful career path. It doesn’t matter if you’re a mad scientist, hard-core engineer, whimsical graphic designer or renegade financial controller! If you share the vision, then there’s a place for you in the fight to conserve, restore and nurture our planet, from land to sea.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
