Lactic Acid Bacteria and Yeast Fermentation to Improve the Nutritional Value of Ulva rigida

Aquaculture reliance on fishmeal protein has become a bottleneck due to long-term sustainability concerns and increasing costs. Given its abundance and nutrient-rich profile, the green macroalga Ulva rigida is a promising alternative protein source. However, the bioaccessibility of its proteins is hindered by an embedding matrix of ulvan, a gel-forming polysaccharide. Saccharification of the alga crude fiber followed by microbial fermentation improves protein bioaccessibility and leads to products of higher protein content and quality. Also, upon fermentation, the nutritional and bioactive properties of these feed ingredients are enhanced, since microorganisms synthesize vitamins, new proteins, and essential amino acids. The carbohydrate fraction of Ulva rigida was hydrolyzed into a sugar-rich syrup and subsequently used as a substrate in microbial fermentations. Three types of fermentation were tested, namely, with a consortium of four lactic acid bacteria (LAB), with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and with a co-culture of lactobacilli and yeast. A functional analysis of lyophilized whole-fermentation broths revealed that the yeast-fermented products had stronger antioxidant properties when compared to the LAB-fermented products. The protein bioaccessibility in the fermented products was 11- to 12-fold higher than that of the raw alga. These findings highlight the potential of utilizing S. cerevisiae and lactobacilli starter cultures in seaweed fermentation to produce Ulva-based feed ingredients.