ABSTRACT Seaweed proteins have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional animal and plant proteins due to their favorable amino acid profiles, low resource requirements, and additional bioactive properties. However, efficient protein extraction from seaweed remains challenging because of rigid polysaccharide‐rich cell walls, protein–polyphenol interactions, high mineral content, and the risk of protein degradation during conventional thermal processing. This review discusses the application of non‐thermal processing technologies for seaweed protein extraction, with a focus on ultrasound‐assisted extraction, enzyme‐assisted extraction, pulsed electric fields, high hydrostatic pressure, and pressurized liquid extraction. The mechanisms by which these technologies enhance cell wall disruption and protein release while minimizing thermal damage are discussed in detail. Particular attention is given to how extraction conditions influence protein yield, structural integrity, techno‐functional properties such as solubility, emulsification, foaming, and gelling, and associated bioactivities. Comparative analysis reveals that whereas non‐thermal methods can improve extraction efficiency and functional quality, their performance is highly species‐dependent and often limited by scalability, energy demand, extract complexity, and incomplete understanding of protein structural modifications. The review highlights critical gaps in standardized benchmarking, molecular‐level characterization, and techno‐economic evaluation that currently hinder industrial translation. Overall, this work consolidates existing knowledge on non‐thermal seaweed protein extraction.
Mahmud et al. (Tue,) studied this question.