Professor Agenuma explains uses of Sargassum, hints of commercialisation

Professor Anetekhai Martins Agenuma, Department of Fisheries, Lagos State University (LASU) has explained the various uses of Sargassum, a sea weed, and hinted of possibility of commercializing products made from it.

Agenuma, a Distinguished Professor, spoke to the media at the 5^th Lagos State University (LASU) Research and Innovation Fair which took place St the Makanjuola Lecture Hall, at Ojo, Lagos State, on September 12, 2023.

Speaking on what his department is doing to promote the use of Sargassum, he stated that the department is working on the potential for commercialization. “We are working on the potential for commercialization; we have picked out three items already for patent, we are working on it, we have already filled the form out but there are few things we need to do here and there. The beautiful thing is that the outcome of the research we have taken to the field, we have farmers that are already using them, many of the farmers are here, those in Priggery, Grass-cutter, Poultry; there are farmers who are not researchers but they are all here with us. We also have the advocacy group, they are all here.”

While Agenuma disclosed that Sargassum is a sea weed found on the coastal region of Badary, explained what Sargassium means “Sargassum is a sea weed, it is actually alien to our country, it came in from the Sargassum sea and before now, we have not really been making use of our sea weed in our country. We have not developed in making use of sea weed, and suddenly we found sea weed in our coastal waters coming from the Sargassus seas.

He also said that many people especially fishermen saw Sargassum as a menace which could disrupt fishing as well as pleasure until LASU intervened and began to see Sargassum as a resource. “Our local communities, our fishermen, they didn’t really know what it was because it was clogging their nets, when they don’t have fishes it is sargassum they would be catching. And for recreation purpose, people don’t go to the beach when the thing is around.  So LASU just decided that, well let’s look at what this thing is, let’s not see it as a nuisance, let’s see it as a resource, and we have been working on it and we have been able to treat it as a resource, converting waste to wealth, so far we have been able to develop some feed from it. We developed fish feed, we developed rabbit feed, pig feed, grass-cutter feed and so on.

“So we have been able to isolate vitamin C, Vitamin D, and in the building industry we have been able to use it to make blocks, and we have made ceilings out of it.”

Agenuma also hinted of plans export the product. “Sargassum, we are also looking at the possibility of coming out with a product that can be exported to the arid lands like Saudi Arabia and so on. They do take in Cocoa peat to their places, and Sargassum can perform the function of cocoa peat.

“If I may add, we are the current best research in Nigeria, the current number one in terms of research in Nigeria, because of the research in Sargassum. The competition was conducted around January, and LASU took first.”

Speaking on the competition, he said “The project is before the president for signing, to use his Executive Order to sign it into a National Centre for Excellence for Sargassum Research; we are also hoping that by extension, it will become the regional centre and we are pushing for that.”

Dele Akinlade a Poultry Farmer and one of the outstation partners of the Sargassum Research team. She spoke on the impact of the research to the public. “Sargassum that has been termed as menace or waste for the coastal region of Badagry, through this research turned out to be a blessing in disguise, in that I used the dry Sargassum sea weed to compound my chicken feed and it turned out well. From the research I discovered that Sargassum could be substituted for the carbohydrate portion of the feed, majorly we use corn but we all know that corn now is very expensive and not too much available. So in the course of the research sargassum combined with other chicken feed turn out very well as a good feed.”

Akindele explained the parameters used in the research “There are parameters we used with the control of the birds, and in particular we used broiler, broiler chicken is a very good source of poultry protein, very good. In comparing with the feed that has corn majorly as a carbohydrate, you see that sargassum feed gave the bird muscle mass weight that compare favourable with the conventional chicken feed. In height the same, in behavioral aspect of the bird, you could see that sargassum fed chicken competed favourably with the conventional one.

“And then also, after we finished research in feeding, when we cook these chicken it is tastier, no fat, and that is healthy for human consumption. I don’t usually us’ spices apart from ginger, garlic and minimal salt, the taste was so surprising. With our conventional feed, when you cook the chicken, you have to pack fat; in fact you can even use the fat to cook it.”

Jijoho Ogun, a Pharmacist turned farmer, who is into animal husbandry with special interest in feeding on the impact of Sargassum on his business saying “Before I got to know about LASU, it has always been seen as an ordinary weed, a nuisance at the beach, but when  I got in touch with them,  I found out that they have tasted it on pigs, and once they feel the smell they start groaning for it, the only thing there is the quantity of salt in it, it  is something we advise to reduce, so you need first and foremost to wash it, dry it or otherwise, before you can use it. For the very small ones, we actually need to reduce a particle side for them, because once they are weaned by their mothers they need something that is not as hard, so we need to get some machine, peletize it, if they cannot peletize it, reduce and make it smaller in size and mix it with normal feed that we have.

“What I have observed is that they are well absorbed by the animals, and for me as an Entrepreneur, if I use like one ton of PKC, it is about N120,000, one ton of waste grain is about N150,000, these are two basic feeds people use, but if I now finds something that is not as expensive as any of them, and I can substitute with Sargassum, even if it is 25% of what I am using, you know, the cost of production will now reduce, while the animal price will not reduce.”

Elizabeth Adepoju, a 200 Level student of Department of Educational Foundation in Counselling Psychology, LASU, who said she is studying Early Childhood Education, is also the First General Secretary, LASU SDG Club, she spoke on her role in creating awareness on Sargassum “I have the opportunity to partner with a company that came to LASU to meet with the Centre of Excellence for Sargassum Research, so now the aspect I am working on is the advocacy.

“We want our students to learn about Sargassum, gain knowledge about it, know what it can be used for, then they can go out there to help their immediate community, because in the first instance sargassum cause issues for life below water on our seas, so these students can come together to run project that would clean the beaches and at the same time take those Sagarssum and make out products with it. We can have our students that are in the Pharmacy and others take these things and use it as their final year project, and get more things that can be derived from it, more products that can be derived from the Sargassum, so this is what we do as advocacy group,” she stated.