ALGAE FOR FOOD 9
Triggered by the post: "The Linux model...." I will participate with a short overview the way we at Algae Nova are handling this wonderful possibility to use algae sensible.Again this is a digest of our groups strategy and our mission and our visions. for the future.
For all those who are intersted in getting some views how to use algae in this sence it might be informative, - I hope.......
The positive constitutional effect of algae on vertebrates is already well known. The reasons for this health-stimulating effects of micro-algae are to be seen in the biological combination, the complexity and synergy of the active natural substances. Vitamins, fatty acids and minerals stabilize the metabolism and cardiovascular system, antioxidant complexes prevent cell damages from free radicals. Dietary fibre, roughage, - like polysaccharide (Polysaccharides are polymeric carbohydrat structures) stimulate the immune defence. Aqueous, ethanolic extracts are creating a resistance against tumor and other mutagenic disorders.
With chickens i.e. an admixture of chlorella algae raised the phagozytical activity (Phagocytosis is involved in the acquisition of nutrients for some cells). Feeding pigs with algae biomass brought a reduction of the cholesterol level and the accession of monocytes (white blood cells), thus increasing unspecific immunity and improving the stress capacity.
In addition to all this an improvement of the meat quality regarding the colour and the water bonding ability was achieved.
Feeding fish with algae
resulted in faster growth and better feed utilisation and a better physiological
state, better protein assimilation and improved metabolism, better stress
capacity and convalescence.
With feedings to rabbit and laying hens in certificated breeding companies positive effects on this animals could be proven. With laying hens it was determined that _ the supply of 1% of alga mass in the regular feed raised the egg laying rate.
Instead
of 37 eggs per 100 chickens in the control group the chickens fed with algae
laid 61 eggs. At the same time the bowl stability increased what led to a reduced
number in crease eggs.
A company
in Brandenburg
named Aquaflor is using algae substrates for cosmetics, food (noodles, chips)
and nutrition products for diets and well-being in general.
For
all this reasons the company will appear on the market with an algae mass
production, with the aim to serve chosen buyers
with algae biomasses for animal feed applications in general and for
fish feed especially. Fish feed we will need for the re-naturalisation project
of the adjoining artificial lake district in combination with an aqua farming
project directly. So right from the start core business will be to fulfil a
secured contract of 2000 t of alga dry mass at a fixed kilo price. The buyer of these
lot takes the algae biomass as it is and stands for the refinement alone. By
doing this an achieved turnover of 22 Mio. ? is protected for the refinancing
of the invests and it will already raise the companies business economics into
the profit zone.
For
further business, negotiations take place with the animal feed
manufacturers Zschornack and Aqua Aller from Denmark. Here we received clear signals to
purchase biomass as well as other valuable materials from algae. The company
Aqua Aller even considers a research participation in the project , with the
subject "Water plant production". Both momentary business partner are
limited in decision benefits because of the current
legislation of the animal feed order in Germany. But these provisions are going to be altered
in accordance with the possibilities theses new aqua farming technologies are
offering.
There are other food
production companies in the area Saxony that are using algae as food supplement in their products. The company -NEUKIRCHNER ZWIEBACK- (Zwieback is a German type of -short bread- and quite
popular) in Chemnitz uses already algae in some of their products, but have
some annoying experience with algae biomasses from overseas open pond systems
that did influence the products towards a somewhat ?fishy? taste. Samples from
Micro algae breed in bioreactors have convinced the company that this is not
the case with algae from a controlled production.
Now already, with this few customers would the production capacity of 2000 to/y be exhausted. Even though negotiations with other potential clients are going on. The experience to be gained with this already proven reactor system is the mass production and the production on demand for a steady growing market asking top quality base products. Open pond systems can never compete in quality with the closed bioreactor system, neither in growth rate of the algae species. Just one bird flying over an open pond leaving his droplets behind can pollute the entire pond. And there are other species, micro-organism and daphnia too that are not to be separated from the biomasses when harvested. In the Spirulina biomasses from a big company on Hawaii operating huge pond systems even cadmium was found.
Simultaneously with our modest
entrance into algae production we will still have the aim to gradually enlarge
our product range and to co-operate on a national , as well as international
level.
- Food supplement means / functional food
- Feed additions
- Cosmetics / wellness.
- Living feed production
- pure biomass production
- hydrogen production
Participation with the network
?Angewandte Bioproduktion Lausitz? (Applied bio production Lausitz) will result
in finding other producers and in connection with this task even create some
new products.
Dietary supplement
(health-supporting food with microalgae)
- Bread, noodles
- Bread rolls
- Waffles, rusk, biscuits
- Yoghurt
- Raw material delivery for pasta
- Snacks, muesli bolt
- Beer
Special feed with microalgae
(feed additions)
- special feed mixture for chick and young hens
- special feed mixture for drawer
- special feed mixture for maturing fish
- special feed mixture for domestic animals (pet-food)
- special feed mixture for koi carp and other special directions
- high carotinoid mixture for certain zoo animals
Cosmetics / wellness
The concrete
regional and national problem definitions for it are being discussed and
compiled by the members of the network of ?Applied bioproduction Lausitz? in
their teams:
1. production of microalgae in photo biology reactors and their deployment
2.
deployment of microalgae in the food and cosmetic industry
Application tests in medical equipment
with microalgae
- flushing tests of mercury (amalgam) with Chlorella vulgaris
- application tests with Spirulina platensis to patient (immune weakness) for the rise of the immune defence.
- AA
Food first. Fuel next.
NO doubt about it.
If the 2000 t/ y is produced using your company's PBRs, how much does the algae cost.
Can we see the costing ?
I am very much impressed with the depth of knowledge you have on this industry Andres !
I am sure most other members also are impressed !
You hit the nail on the head Mia Franceska !
Everything sounds great - what about the cost?
I'm into production and commercial selling of spirulina... Nature's best food --by UN,WHO
1 Does the quality of your algae change with the change in growing media?
2. Can you build a relationship with the animaql customers to also use there waste?
3.Could only certain formulas be usede to produce food products.
Answer:
1) yes..
2)ya, to some extent.
3)The practice so far is like that, but it is not mandatory ..
Congrats Mahesh !
Best wishes !
Today I saw anohter post in oilgae blog.
I am giving the entire matter and the url too.
Here is an article which I retrieved from the Oilgae newsletter archives. This article focuses on the importance of algae as a source of high-value end products.
Algae are a rich and varied source of pharmacologically active natural products and nutraceuticals. While nutraceutical and pharmaceutical content in the baseline algae strain is very small, current market values for these products are extremely high. The major products currently being commercialized or under consideration for commercial extraction include carotenoids, phycobilins, fatty acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, sterols, and biologically active molecules for use in human and animal health.
The upcoming sections will bring into focus the use of algae as a potential source of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredients.
Algae as a Source of Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical industry is growing at a CAGR of around 8% while the global pharmaceutical market is forecasted to reach US$ 1043.4 billion in 2012.
Use of algae, especially the cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), for antibiotics and pharmacologically active compounds has received ever increasing interest. There are a range of pharmaceutical products derived from algae. Some of them include:
- Antimicrobials, Antivirals & Antifungals
-Neuroprotective Products
-Therapeutic proteins
-Drugs
1. Antimicrobials, Antivirals & Antifungals
Both microalgae and macroalgae exhibit antimicrobial activity which finds use in various pharmaceutical industries.
Role of Microalgae
* Microalgae, such as Ochromonas sp., Prymnesiumand a number of blue green algae produce toxins that may have potential pharmaceutical applications (Katircioglu et al, 2006)
* Various strains of cyanobacteria are known to produce intracellular and extracellular metabolites with diverse biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activity (Naoman et al,2004)
* The biological activities of the algae may be attributed to the presence of volatile compounds, some phenols, free fatty acids and their oxidized derivatives (Zornitsa et al, 2009)
Role of macroalgae
* There are numerous reports of macroalgae derived compounds that have a broad range of biological activities, such as antibiotic, antiviral, anti- neoplastic, antifouling, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antimitotic (Naqvi et al., 1980)
* In the past few decades, macroalgae have been widely recognised as producers of a broad range of bioactive metabolites (Caccamese et al., 1981)
* Such antimicrobial properties enable macroalgae to be used as natural preservatives in the cosmetic industry.
* The highest percentage of antimicrobial activity was found in Phaeophyceae (84%), followed by Rhodophyceae (67%) and Chlorophyceae (44%). (Noemi et al, 2007)
* Red and brown macroalgae extracts show significant potential as anti-pathogenic agents for use in fish aquaculture. (Wefky et al, 2008)
http://bit.ly/9ePcFb
2. Neuroprotective Products
Both microalgae and macroalgae are neuroprotective agents and promote nerve cell survival.
Role of microalgae
Among the various microalgal species, Spirulina is most commonly referred as a neuroprotective agent
* Spirulina platensis may be useful in the development of novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson diseases.
* Spirulina maxima is found to partially prevent MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine) neurotoxicity and oxidative stress, suggesting it could be a possible alternative in experimental therapy.
Role of macroalgae
* Several macroalgae are found to possess therapeutic potential for combating neurodegenerative diseases associated with neuroinflammation.
* A marine macroalgae, Ulva conglobata, a marine algae, has neuroprotective effects in murine hippocampal and microglial cells
http://bit.ly/9Iu2P9
3. Human Therapeutic Proteins
Pharmaceutical companies could substantially reduce the expense of costly treatments for cancer and other diseases produced from mammalian or bacterial cells by growing human therapeutic proteins in algae. Microalgae usually find extensive use as therapeutic and diagnostic proteins.
Role of microalgae
* Expression of recombinant proteins in green algal chloroplast holds substantial promise as a platform for the production of human therapeutic proteins
*The percentage of human proteins produced in their algal cultures is comparable to the fraction produced by mammalian cell cultures and much better than that produced by bacterial systems
*A study confirmed that diverse human therapeutic proteins could be produced in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a green alga
* Algae can be used to produce
- VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) for treating emphysema
- HMGB1 (High Moblility Group Protein B1) which activates immune cells
- Domain 14 of human fibronectin
Domain 10 of human fibronectin used to increase the accumulation of other proteins
- Human proinsulin could be produced by algae, but only at lower levels
*The costs of using algae at large scale to commercially produce human proteins should be much lower than for mammalian cell culture, which require expensive fermentation facilities
http://bit.ly/cdvA9B
4. Drugs
Algal chemistry has interested many researchers in order to develop new drugs, as algae include compounds with functional groups which are characteristic from this particular source.
Role of microalgae
* Researchers have been able to produce an exciting class of anti-cancer drugs originally isolated from blue-green algae
* A compound named cryptophycin 1 has been isolated from blue-green algae which hold significant promise as an anti-cancer drug
* Microalgae produce incredibly potent alkaloidal neurotoxins such as saxitoxin and polyketide neurotoxins such as the brevetoxins for use as anticancer drugs.
Role of macroalgae
* The alkaloids found in marine macroalgae present special interest because of their pharmacological activities.
*These alkaloids in macroalgae are largely focused on finding drugs for cancer treatment.
http://bit.ly/cijvFA
Companies Deriving Pharmaceutical Products from Algae
* Rincon Pharmaceuticals ? www.rinconpharma.com/
* Rallis http://www.rallis.co.in/
* Monsanto http://www.monsanto.com/default.asp
* Jubilant Organosys http://www.jubl.com/
* Piramal Healthcare http://www.piramalhealthcare.com/
* AstraZeneca http://www.astrazenecaindia.com/
* Idec Pharmaceuticals www.idecpharm.com
* National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria http://www.nfmc.res.in/
* Novo Nordisk India Private Ltd http://www.novonordisk.co.in/documents/home_page/document/index.asp
* Agri Life SOM Phytopharma (India) Limited http://www.somphyto.com/
* Labprocure India Pvt Ltd http://www.pharmaceuticals1.com/organisation/labprocure-ind-pvt-ltd.html
Algae as a Source of Nutraceuticals
The growing use of algae biomass for nutraceutical purposes is expected to provide an attractive revenue stream for algae producers. While nutraceutical content in the baseline algae strain is very small, current market values for these products are extremely high.
Physiologically-active nutraceuticals from algae include food supplements, dietary supplements, value-added processed foods as well as non-food supplements such as tablets, soft gels, capsules etc.
Some of the noteworthy products that can be derived from algae:
Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
Carotenoids
- Astaxanthin
- β-Carotene
1. Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
- As algae could be relatively easily cultivated at different stress conditions, they offer the prospect of a good source of PUFA for the nutraceutical market
- Recently, attention has focused on n-3 PUFAs from algae, especially eicopentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), due to their association with the prevention and treatment of several diseases (atherosclerosis, thrombosis, arthritis, cancers, etc.)
- Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega 3 and omega 6 series are straight chain carboxylic acids of 20 or more carbon atoms that contain 3 or more double bonds
-The conventional source of EPA and DHA is marine fish oil, but higher amount of EPA and some DHA can be produced by the use of algae
Role of microalgae
* Microalgae have been an attractive source of PUFA (Benemann et al. 1987) due to their inherently high PUFA content
* Cyanobacterium Spirulina is rich in γ-linolenic acid (GLA) (and poor in the α-isomer) and thus is a good source for the purification of this PUFA (Mahajan and Kamat, 1995)
* Chlorella minutissima is a eukaryotic species with a fast growth rate and high PUFA content (Seto et al. 1984) and could be another important source of a PUFA-rich nutraceutical supplement
* The red algae, Porphyridium contain more than 30% of total fatty acids as AA (Arachidonic Acid) and equally high concentrations of EPA
Role of macroalgae
* Fatty acids (FA) from marine macroalgae are generally richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and a higher degree of total unsaturation.
* Both Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta species of macroalgae were rich in arachadonic acid (AA) and eicosopentaenoic acid (EPA) and Ulvales in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content.
http://www.bioline.org.br/pdf?ej06057
2. Carotenoids
* Carotenoids are a class of natural fat-soluble pigments found principally in algae where they play a critical role in the photosynthetic process
* In human beings, carotenoids can serve several important functions. The most widely studied and well-understood nutritional role for carotenoids is their provitamin A activity
*Carotenoids are found to be powerful anti-oxidants
Role of microalgae
β-Carotene and astaxanthin are attractive microalgal products as they command a high market price and are present in high concentrations in some algal cells
* β-Carotene
- β-Carotene is usually derived from Dunaliella salina
- β-Carotene is a natural pigment derived from green algae, is used as a yellow-orange food coloring and may help prevent certain types of cancers.
* Astaxanthin
- It is obtained from Haematococcus pluvialis which believed to contain the highest known natural levels of astaxanthin
- Astaxanthin has a number of biological functions:
* Protection against oxidation of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids
* Protection against UV light effects
* Protects against cancer
* Modifying immune function
http://bit.ly/aVyqP2
Companies Deriving Nutraceutical Products from Algae
* Parry nutraceuticals http://bit.ly/7smIpP
* Alga technologies http://bit.ly/55mbyq
* Martek Biosciences http://www.martek.com/
* Hydrolina Biotech Private Ltd http://www.hydrolinabiotech.com/
* EID Parry neutraceuticals http://bit.ly/6ZGzMj
* Acadian Seaplants Limited ? http://bit.ly/82V3R4
*Mingfu Fujian Agar Co Ltd http://bit.ly/8oTjle
* Fuyang Green Foods Co., Ltd http://bit.ly/4WyaOS
* Desert lake technologies ? http://bit.ly/5sKRXW
* Fucoidan http://bit.ly/6xmEB4
* Shandong Firstspirulina Biotech Co., Ltd http://bit.ly/7AKOfe
* Globe Seaweed International http://bit.ly/6Kfvjz
* Wefirst Biotechnology Co.,Ltd ? http://bit.ly/4ZBWtZ
* Dharani Farms http://bit.ly/58GrIn
Conclusion
The markets for both pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals are growing quickly worldwide, and it is this global scope that particularly attracts marketers. A growing proportion of today's promising pharmaceutical and nutraceutical research focuses on the production of promising compounds from algae.
Thus, the untapped potential of algae in the field of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals has to be still explored to grow and capitalize on tremendous global marketing opportunities
Related posts:
Biochemical Composition of Spirulina Biomass in Open-air System
Virginia Tech Researcher Grows Algae Using Glycerol
Microalgae as bioreactors for production of proteins
Commercial Applications of Microalgae ? Journal of Bioscience & Bioengineering
Company Turning Waste and Algae into Fuel Source
http://www.oilgae.com/blog/2010/09/algae-as-a-source-of-pharmaceuticals-nutraceuticals.html
Andres
Do you also make any of the above High Value Products ?
Wow.You have given a huge picture