A seaweed colony was found off Kovalam-Chovvara coast by a city-based NGO, engaged in marine life research and protection activities. The seaweed is said to have great medicinal values. The research team of Friends of Marine Life (FML) spotted the colony of seaweeds of Tetrastromatica species of Padina genus spread over eight rocks. The brown seaweeds, especially Sargassum and Padina […]

Corbion NV has entered into a “stalking horse” stock and asset purchase agreement with TerraVia Holdings, Inc., which produces oils, specialty fats and powdered ingredients from microalgae. The acquisition of TerraVia would extend Corbion’s product portfolio into algae-based fatty acids and proteins while leveraging Corbion’s fermentation and downstream processing capabilities. More

A new €5m European project aims to make it cheaper and easier to enrich food, nutraceuticals and cosmetics with microalgae. Improving extraction techniques and making cultivation of algae microorganisms cheaper are the main aims of the new research program, backed by European Commission, as part of its Horizon 2020 program. The VALUEMAG (Valuable Products from Algae […]

Bunge, one of the world’s largest food companies, is hoping to see optimal results from the feed additives plant it holds as a joint venture with TerraVia in Brazil before making further investments in aquaculture. Bunge and TerraVia set up the plant at one of Bunge’s biggest sugar mills in Sao Paulo state and have been […]

Taiwan Cement Corporation has found a business potential to reduce carbon emissions with the help of microalgae. As microalgae can produce astaxanthin, a key ingredient used in medicines and high value skin care products, the company is seeking business partners to promote skincare uses for astaxanthin, instead of launching its own brand. However, the pilot […]

Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have identified genes in algae that could allow them to make genetically engineered, heat tolerant algae that can withstand higher temperatures and continue their symbiotic relationships with corals. These microalgae, called Symbiodinium, or zooxanthellae, are a genus of primary producers found in corals that are essential […]

Spain and Portugal have collaborated to optimize the production and exploitation of microalgae across various sectors including aquaculture. The ALGARED+ project will be implemented by a consortium comprised of nine institutions with interests in the areas of aquaculture and biomedicine in the Algarve region in Portugal and Andalusia in Spain. The two year project, which […]

Algatechnologies has received Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) approval for its natural AstaPure astaxanthin to be used as a food ingredient. The approval makes Algatechnologies, the first astaxanthin supplier to start marketing in Brazil. Brazil has the largest nutritional and supplements market in South America. According to Euromonitor, vitamins and dietary supplements recorded a sales […]

Gen3Bio Inc., a US based company is working on microalgae to convert them to bio based chemicals, so that the value of bio feedstock could be maximized and landfill waste could be reduced. The company is working on a unique process, where sugars and proteins broken down during the process of biodiesel production could be […]

Scientists at James Cook University, Australia have found that cows when fed with small amounts of seaweed along with their normal diet of grass could reduce methane emissions by up to 99%. The researchers tested 20 species of seaweed and found that Asparagopsis taxiformis, a species of red algae effectively reduced cows’ methane emissions by […]

Researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) have discovered and established the genetic code of “tough” Porphyra umbilicalis, a red alga better known in the UK as laver. This DNA breakthrough could help breed disease resistant crop, thus boosting the aquaculture industry of Scotland. Researchers have mapped its 13,125 genes to help understand […]

Cyanotech Corporation has announced that its bulk raw material BioAstin SCE5 and vegan BioAstin soft gels have received  halal certification from the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).  BioAstin is derived from natural microalgae, Haematococcus pluvialis, that is cultivated, grown, and processed on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. Source  

Clearas Water Recovery, a US based company has developed a process to use algae to remove nitrogen and phosphorous from public wastewater treatment plants, keeping waterways from being inundated with the compounds that starve fish and plant life of oxygen. In turn, the algae can be sold to other companies for fertilizer, biofuels and other uses. […]

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology have created a catalyst for biofuel production from algae using sand from Rajasthan, nickel and cobalt that cuts the price of production to half of that of fossil fuel. Many catalysts use expensive rare materials such as Rhodium that push up the price of production. The researchers say […]

Mialgae, a UK startup, is cultivating microalgae using wastewater from whisky industry. The cultivated algae is used to produce feed for aquaculture industry. The company produces the nutrient-rich microalgae in large stainless steel tanks. The company believes that the cultivation of microalgae rich in omega content would help revolutionize the animal and fish feed industry and […]

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the selection of three projects to receive up to $8 million, aimed at reducing the costs of producing algal biofuels and bioproducts. These projects will deliver high-impact tools and techniques for increasing the productivity of algae organisms and cultures. They will also deliver biology-focused breakthroughs while enabling accelerated […]

This comprehensive five-day course ( July 31 – August 4 ) is a first of its kind combination Spirulina and Aquaponics immersion program. Students will get four days of hands-on Artisan spirulina farming, learning the French cultivation method. Aquaponics will be discussed providing students with real life experience in what it takes to build and maintain […]

Scientists at Imperial College are working to produce biofuels from genetically modified algae. Though the team is experimenting with several genetically modified algae, their research will focus primarily on three types of algae – Cyanothece sp., Synechocystis sp, Chlamydomonas. Their idea is to produce three types of biofuels – Biohydrogen which is a clean transport […]

Parry Nutraceuticals has partnered with Synthite Industries for technology to extract phycocyanin from spirulina. Synthite Industries with a business of $300 million has a global presence in the natural colour segment and will focus on this market. Parry Nutraceuticals has planned to cater to human nutrition segment for selling of phycocyanin. More

Microalgae manufacturer ecoduna has agreed to use SCHOTT’s DURAN glass tubes for its new PBR facility in Vienna, where Europe’s largest facility for omega-3 fatty acids will be setup. The company has chosen SCHOTT to deliver the tubes after an 18- month test period in its new vertical PBR plant. The facility will produce 100 […]

FDA has given approval for the use of spirulina extract as a colour additive for hard boiled shell eggs. The announcement follows a petition filed by McCormick & Company, Inc. The company intends to sell the extract as a blue powder in packets to its consumers. The powder is produced by filtered aqueous extraction of […]

Algarithm Ingredients Inc. has launched vegan algae based omega-3 DHA ingredients from its algae oil rich in DHA. The company is partnering with Virun Nutra BioSciences to produce retail ready algae oil powders and emulsions from algae DHA oil. The company will focus on dietary supplements market but more opportunities exist in the sports nutrition, […]

Metabolium has launched new DHA oil sourced from microalgae for the human and animal nutrition market. The new oil combines algae DHA and selenium sourced from organic sources. The new product called Olise is suitable in any product or ingredient where DHA is currently used such as infant formula, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, pet food and […]

Spirulina, a green microalgae superfood rich in iron, proteins, vitamins and antioxidants would soon become affordable owing to efforts taken by a startup company. The startup Spins is researching to increase the productivity of this functional food. The researchers claim that the technology developed by the team reduces production costs by decreasing water consumption and […]

Woods Grain, an Australian company has secured a $579,000 grant from Palaszczuk Government to build an algae farm for livestock production. Under the project, Woods Grain will seek to establish a new algae farm in Goondiwindi and trial new technology for the extraction of omega-3 oil from the algae. This could produce a high-protein feedstock […]