One Jellyfish Pizza, Coming Up!

Leone’s research focuses on finding new ways to feed the world’s growing human population. It wasn’t until witnessing giant swarms of jellyfish, called blooms, gathering along the Italian seaside that Leone considered them as a potential food source in Europe. Still, she wondered if people who’ve never tried jellyfish before would be willing to eat them. It might depend on how they’re prepared.

After researching the food safety of certain jellyfish species, Leone began working with gourmet chefs to come up with jellyfish dishes cooked in ways Europeans might be more accustomed to. Some examples include jellyfish that’s been fried, sautéed, or served in soup, salads, or pasta. Leone hopes someday the animals will become just as common on Western plates as other seafoods are. Not only would that provide food for people but it might also address growing jellyfish numbers in Europe and around the world.

Leone tries to find new ways to feed the world’s growing human population. She saw giant swarms of jellyfish along the Italian coast. These jellyfish blooms gave her an idea. Maybe jellyfish could become a food source in Europe. But she knew that many Europeans have never tried jellyfish. Would they be willing to eat them? It might depend on how jellyfish are prepared.

Leone researched the food safety of certain jellyfish species. Then she worked with gourmet chefs to come up with jellyfish dishes. They cooked jellyfish in ways that were more familiar to Europeans. For example, they fried or sautéed jellyfish. They also served jellyfish in soup, salads, or pasta. Leone hopes the animals will someday become just as common as other kinds of seafood on Western plates. This would not only provide food for people. It might also address growing jellyfish numbers in Europe and around the world. 

Although jellyfish have the word “fish” in their name, they aren’t fish at all. The animals are invertebrates, meaning their bodies have no bones. In fact, these extremely simple animals are 95 percent water. The rest of a jellyfish is made up of muscle and collagen—the same protein that provides structure and support for tissues in the human body. These two components give jellyfish a rubbery, chewy texture, similar to that of squid used in many Western dishes, like fried calamari.

Once out of water, jellyfish start to decay very quickly. If they are goingto be served for human consumption,they must quickly be refrigerated, frozen, or dehydrated. Dehydrationis a process that removes water from the jellyfish’s body. Current methods involve treating the animal’s tissues with a chemical called alum, which contains the element aluminum (Al). Most jellyfish today are preserved this way. But the European Union has strict laws limiting aluminum in foods, as large amounts could be toxic. For this reason, authorities in Europe haven’t approved any jellyfish for consumption.

Recently, Leone and her team came up with a new way to safely preserve jellyfish without using alum. Instead, they dehydrate the animal using salts containing the element calcium (Ca). “We have developed a completely new system,” says Leone. Her team has received a patent for this new method, which gives them legal rights to their idea. The innovation could help legalize jellyfish as a food in Europe, where big blooms are causing big problems.

Jellyfish have the word “fish” in their name, but they aren’t fish. The animals are invertebrates. That means their bodies have no bones. In fact, these extremely simple animals are 95 percent water. The rest of a jellyfish is made up of muscle and collagen. This same protein provides structure and support for tissues in the human body. Muscle and collagen give jellyfish a rubbery, chewy texture. It’s similar to the texture of squid. And squid is used in many Western dishes, like fried calamari.

Out of water, jellyfish start to spoil very quickly. They must be refrigerated, frozen, or dehydrated right away. Otherwise they’re not safe for people to eat. Dehydration is a process that removes water from the jellyfish’s body. Current methods treat the animal’s tissues with a chemical called alum. It contains the element aluminum (Al). Most jellyfish today are preserved this way. But the European Union has strict laws limiting aluminum in foods. That’s because large amounts could be toxic. For this reason, authorities in Europe haven’t approved any jellyfish for consumption.

Recently, Leone and her team found a new way to safely preserve jellyfish. They don’t use alum. Instead, they dehydrate the animal with salts containing the element calcium. “We have developed a completely new system,” says Leone. Her team received a patent for their method. That gives them legal rights to their idea. The new method could help legalize jellyfish as a food in Europe. Big blooms are causing big problems there. 

Jellyfish blooms can cover thousands of square miles of ocean. In places like Israel, Japan, the Philippines, Scotland, Sweden, and the United States, these hordes of goopy animals have shut down power plants. The swarms of jellies clog pipes that pull in seawater to cool machinery. Large masses of jellies also frustrate fishers by damaging nets and gumming up boat engines. And since some jellyfish have venomous stingers on their tentacles, they can make waters unsafe for swimmers and summertime beachgoers.

Jellyfish blooms may be growing more common. “There are definitely more reports of jellyfish blooms from more locations,” says Mark Q. Martindale, a marine biologist at the University of Florida. But he and other scientists are unsure whether that’s because blooms are really increasing or because there’s better reporting of the occurrences (see Jellyfish Blooms Around the World). However, Martindale says human activities and changing climate patterns are disrupting ocean ecosystems—communities of organisms interacting with their nonliving surroundings. And that could be causing jellyfish to appear in places where they haven’t been spotted before.

Jellyfish blooms can cover thousands of square miles of ocean. These swarms of goopy animals have shut down power plants. Pipes pull in seawater to cool the machinery, but the jellies clog the pipes. This has happened in places like Israel, Japan, the Philippines, Scotland, Sweden, and the United States. Large masses of jellies also frustrate fishers. They damage nets and gum up boat engines. And some jellyfish have poisonous stingers on their tentacles. They can make waters unsafe for swimmers and summertime beachgoers.

Jellyfish blooms may be growing more common. “There are definitely more reports of jellyfish blooms from more locations,” says Mark Q. Martindale. He’s a marine biologist at the University of Florida. But are blooms really increasing, or are they just better reported now? Martindale and other scientists are unsure (see Jellyfish Blooms Around the World). But Martindale says human activities and changing climate patterns could be causing jellyfish to appear in new places. These factors are disrupting ocean ecosystems. Ecosystems are communities of organisms along with their nonliving surroundings.

Warming seas caused by climate change could increase the availability of the foods that young jellyfish eat, called phytoplankton. These microscopic plant-like organisms grow much faster in warming waters. Overfishing—catching sea creatures at a greater rate than they can replenish themselves through reproduction—has also reduced the number of fish that prey upon young jellyfish. Before growing into the bell-shaped adults people are most familiar with, jellyfish start their lives as immature larvae (see Life Cycle of a Jellyfish). “This is the most vulnerable time for jellyfish because at this stage they’re food for a large number of small fish and other marine animals,” says Martindale. With fewer fish to eat the larvae, jellyfish numbers can quickly grow out of control.

Climate change is causing seas to warm. That could increase the amount of phytoplankton. Young jellyfish eat these microscopic plant-like organisms. Phytoplankton grow much faster in warming waters. Some fish prey on young jellyfish, but overfishing has reduced their numbers. These fish are being caught at a greater rate than they can replace themselves through reproduction. People are most familiar with jellyfish as bell-shaped adults. But jellies start their lives as immature larvae (see Life Cycle of a Jellyfish). “This is the most vulnerable time for jellyfish because at this stage they’re food for a large number of small fish and other marine animals,” says Martindale. Fewer fish are around to eat the larvae. So jellyfish numbers can quickly grow out of control.

If Europe legalizes jellyfish for consumption, fishers could start harvesting many of the jellyfish invading their coasts. The jellyfish, once seen as a nuisance, could become a new source of income.

Jellyfish are invading European coasts. But if Europe legalizes jellyfish for consumption, fishers could start harvesting them. Today jellyfish are seen as a problem. But they could become a new source of income.

Jellyfish could also become a new sustainable food source in Europe. Sustainable products meet people’s needs while having a limited impact on the environment. “While many studies and observations are still needed, jellyfish fishing could reduce negative impacts and simultaneously provide benefits to the local economy, moving toward a new balance,” says Leone. 

Jellyfish could also become a new sustainable food source in Europe. Sustainable products meet people’s needs while having a limited impact on the environment. “While many studies and observations are still needed, jellyfish fishing could reduce negative impacts and simultaneously provide benefits to the local economy, moving toward a new balance,” says Leone.