EASTBROOK – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded grants for two small-business initiatives in Maine, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced recently.

Funding includes:

. $36,894 to Ingredients Solutions Inc. of Searsport to extract carrageenan, a thickener and stabilizer in a variety of food products, from cold-water red seaweed.

. $70,000 to Indian Meadow Herbals LLC of Eastbrook to expand the commercial use of blueberries, thereby expanding the state’s rural economy.

The grants were awarded under the Small Business Innovation Research program to provide funding to established small businesses to support high-quality research proposals.