Spirulina is really talented
One of the most popular microalgae and cyanobacteria species is spirulina. It's packed with protein, complex carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Protein-wise, spirulina competes well with other healthy plant sources. It contains between 50 and 60 percent protein. There are many uses for this colorful product in food, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and the environmental industries. Cyanobacteria, blue-green algae, were one of the first living organisms found on earth. Blue-green algae has two types: edible species such as spirulina and non edible like toxic species. Blue-green algae cakes can be found at a local market called Ndjemena in Chad. In the Kanembu tribe, algae is made from scratch to add to food. The algae is collected in a pot, drained with a cloth. Under the sun, they spread the colorful leaves on the sand to dry out. Dihé is the local name for these algae, which are mixed with tomato and pepper sauce. Sprinkle some over millet, beans, fish, or meat. Dihé makes up 70% of their diet. Spirulina has gained considerable attention over the years. Global spirulina market size is projected to reach 629.6 million dollars by 2025, growing 9.4 percent from 2019.
Spirulina cultivation varies depending on the sector. A semi-tropical climate with an average temperature of 18 Celsius and alkaline warm water lakes are ideal for this colorful species to thrive. On the other hand, spirulina can be made in laboratories. There are a few things to consider when making spirulina in the lab: luminosity, uniform inoculation size, stirring speed of about 58 centimeters per second, pH of water between 8.5 and 10.5, and minerals like calcium, zinc, nickel, copper. Developing spirulina commercially involves four steps: cultivating, harvesting, drying, and packaging. Recycling the medium back into the original pond maximizes growth and allows traceability of the manufacturing lot if something goes wrong.
Nutritionally, this plant contains a variety of nutrients that benefit humans and the environment. It’s considered a complete protein because it contains all essential amino acids and enough non-essential amino acids. Tryptophan constitutes the highest amino acid content in spirulina, while histidine constitutes the least. Spirulina combined with foods low in protein such as rice, wheat, or corn increases protein content. Spirulina contains fewer calories than meat, dairy and fish. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential fatty acids, and saturated fatty acids are high in them. Beta-carotene, vitamin K, E, B-complex vitamins, and minerals are associated with Spirulina. Phytonutrients like phycocyanin, chlorophyll, zeaxanthin and glycolipids are also involved. In this world, nothing is flawless. High levels of arsenic and fluoride accompany spirulina harvested in its natural environment. It comes in handy that this specific algae can be harvested in artificial conditions with a lower mineral content.
From a nutraceutical perspective, spirulina possesses properties beneficial to human health:
Detoxify- neutralizes or chelates toxic minerals
Nourishing – Contains B12, iron; contains twice as absorbable as a vegetable; the protein is easy to digest since it is composed of easily digestible soft mucopolysaccharides
Immune - Increases active macrophages that combat harmful germs
Appetite - Phenylalanine causes cholecystokinin, which affects the brain's appetite center and improves leptin secretion, which leads to obesity when impaired
Other benefits - Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) converts into prostaglandins, which control blood pressure, manufacture cholesterol, and proliferate cells and cause inflammation in the body
Spirulina can be used in many ways, including in confectionaries and supplements:
Breads – in dough it increased protein by 22.6%. Improves loaf volume, rheology, and gas retention
Biscuits - enhance nutritional content. Panelists have mutually considered fortified spirulina cookies at different concentrations impacts its organoleptic; at 3% the cookies were described as sweet yeast while at 9% it was considered fishy seawater
Yogurt – enhances curd strength
Ice cream - may replace gelatin with spirulina as a stabilizer to provide a high-quality index and increased biological value of ice cream
Beverages – dairy; enhances the technological performance of starter cultures such as S.thermophilus and Lactobacillus casei.
Baby foods - increase tissue growth, enhance vision, and focus on children
Environmentally speaking, spirulina may pack a punch. The low price and high demand for ammonium sulfate fertilizer make sulfuric acid a common industrial chemical, especially when it comes to nitrogen recovery. This acid has corrosion and environmental issues. An alternative to this is using organic acids like citric acid. Citric acid is derived from food waste, and this can be extracted through solid-state fermentation techniques from cassava, coffee husk, wheat bran, apple pomace, rice bran pineapple waste, kiwi fruit peel and many more. An innovative way to exploit nitrogen recovery is by combining spirulina and citric acid. Nitrogen was recovered efficiently using citric acid. The difference between sulfuric and citric acid in nitrogen recovery is very slim. Citric acid fertilizers are more eco-friendly and cost-effective.
Spirulina impacts our lives internally and externally. As always consult with your general practitioner about incorporating this sea plant into your diet. It's all about the dosage. Until next time, Stay strong & Stay vivid!
Reference
Priyanka, S. et al. (2023). Spirulina: A spotlight on its nutraceutical properties and food processing applications. Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Science. https://doi.org/10.55251/jmbfs.4785.
Attene, L. et. al. (2023). Efficient Nitrogen Recovery from Agro-Energy Effluents for Cyanobacteria Cultivation (Spirulina). Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010675.
