UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND - REYKJAVIK  

Soup

ECOTROPHELIA ICELAND 2013 - GOLD
ECOTROPHELIA EUROPE 2013 - Europe - Special prize "Coup de coeur" Innovation

HAI SHEN - INSTANT SEA CUCUMBER SOUP

HAI SHEN is an instant functional soup mix made from freeze dried sea cucumber, chicken stock, tapioca and maize starch, onion mix and spices. For preparation, only boiling water is needed.

Sea cucumbers are aquatic invertebrates. The exploitation of sea cucumbers is limited in Iceland but they have been popular in East Asia since ancient times due to its believed ability to improve vigor and cure a number of ailments. The aim was to make an instant functional food from natural ingredients that would be easy to serve and could fit well for international markets, with an emphasis on China. Emphasis was on sea cucumber as the main ingredient. Environmental factors and sustainability were also be taken into account. Sea cucumbers have long been considered a traditional medicine and tonic food in the communities of Asia and the Middle East. According to the traditional Chinese medicine, sea cucumbers have a salty and warming nature that is associated with the heart and kidneys, used for treating weaknesses, impotence, debility of the age, constipation due to intestinal dryness and frequent urination. Chinese people eat sea cucumbers more for the tonic value than for their seafood taste. Sea cucumbers are a great tonic food, very high in protein. A fully dried product contains as high as 83% protein and is low in fat. It contains amino acids and trace elements that are good for the health. Sea cucumbers have gained a lot of interest in recent years among the scientific world and articles have been published that show a long list of beneficial properties, including: Anti fatigue and immune function, anti hypertension, anti inflammation, antioxidant, anticancer, antitumor and wound healing function. Additionally the sea cucumbers have good fatty acid composition that can reduce arthritis pain and osteoarthritis. The sea cucumber has a very rich nutritional profile and the typical nutrient content of 100 g of dried sea cucumbers include; water 18.9 g, protein 50.2 g, fat 4.8 g, carbohydrate 4.5 g, sodium 5.0 g, magnesium 1.0 g, potassium 0.4 g, selenium 0.15 g, niacin 1300 μg, cobalmin 2213 μg, vitamin A 39 μg, retinol 39 μg and trace concentration of other chemicals like iron, magnesium, zink, lead and phosphorus.