Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

New Insights into Duckweed as an Alternative Source of Food and Feed: Key Components and Potential Technological Solutions to Increase Their Digestibility and Bioaccessibility

Krisztina Takács; Rita Végh; Zsuzsanna Mednyánszky; Joseph Haddad; Karim Allaf; Muying Du; Kewei Chen; Jianquan Kan; Tian Cai; Péter Molnár; Péter Bársony; Anita Maczó; Zsolt Zalán; István Dalmadi

Applied Sciences · 2025

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Summary

This review synthesises current knowledge on duckweed (Lemnaceae) as a candidate alternative protein and nutrient source for human food and animal feed, examining its compositional profile including protein, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. The paper likely assesses antinutritional factors that limit bioavailability and critically evaluates processing technologies — such as fermentation, extrusion, or instantaneous controlled pressure drop (DIC) — that may enhance digestibility and bioaccessibility. The authors, drawn from institutions across Hungary, France, China, and Lebanon, bring a multidisciplinary perspective to the practical feasibility of integrating duckweed into food systems.

UK applicability

Duckweed cultivation is feasible in UK aquatic and controlled environments, and interest in sustainable alternative proteins is growing within UK food policy and industry; findings on processing technologies to improve nutritional availability would be relevant to UK researchers, food manufacturers, and aquaculture feed producers exploring novel protein sources.

Key measures

Protein content; amino acid profile; lipid composition; starch and fibre fractions; mineral and micronutrient concentrations; antinutritional factor levels; digestibility and bioaccessibility estimates following processing interventions

Outcomes reported

The paper reviews the key nutritional and biochemical components of duckweed species and evaluates potential technological processing methods to improve their digestibility and bioaccessibility for use in food and animal feed applications.

Theme
Nutrition & health
Subject
Alternative & novel proteins
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
International
System type
Food supply chain
DOI
10.3390/app15020884
Catalogue ID
NRmo3f02hq-03p

Topic tags

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