From the Bioreactor to the Plate: Addressing the Global Food Challenge with Algae

As an innovative raw material, algae and their zero waste bio-refinery concepts could supplement the global food system. Algae grow on non-arable land without competition to other crops and with high productivity by using a gaseous CO₂ source. Nevertheless, algae still present major challenges from low efficiency along the value chain from harvesting to dewatering, and from extraction to purification.

Advances in systems biology, genetic engineering, and process control, as well as in bio-refinery can lower the costs of algae growth and move it into large-scale production. Innovative thermal, electro-magnetic and mechanical downstream processing technologies enable an efficient use of biomass and functional protein harvesting. Replacing open-pond with photo-bioreactor systems allows for the integration of algae in urban farming concepts and production directly at the site of consumption.

During the external page AAAS 2018 Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, Alexander Mathys, ETH Zurich ¨C The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, Maria Barbosa, AlgaePARC, Wageningen University, Netherlands and Ezra Noon-Song from EnerGaia, a start-up company in Bangkok, Thailand reveal the latest developments in the cultivation and processing of microalgae for food. In their presentations, they show that these organisms represent one of the most promising sources of new products such as healthy lipids, protein based ingredients, and meat substitutes.

Innovative algae processing to drive sustainable food production concepts

Alexander Mathys, Assistant Professor and Head of the Sustainable Food Processing Laboratory at ETH Zurich presents new insight into bacteria microalgae interactions. He shows that an understanding of the microbial community in the cultivation of the algae Chlorella is relevant for improved growth performance and food safety. Mathys investigated the thermostability of algae proteins using modular thermal micro process engineering and developed a concept for scalable downstream processing. The novel electro-magnetic processing methods used in Mathys¡¯ laboratory enable an efficient use of algae biomass with a minimized energy input. Mathys evaluates the proposed technical methods in a holistic life cycle assessment in terms of improved food production and sustainability.

Towards industrial products from microalgae

external page Maria Barbosa, Associate Professor for Micoralgae Biotechnology and Director of external page AlgaePARC at Wageningen University in the Netherlands explains the benefits of algae over terrestrial plants. Algae have a higher oil productivity than palm plants and can grow in photobioreactors in places like deserts or in the sea all year round. Because algae are able to grow on seawater, they reduce the impact on fresh water reserves. Barbosa presents a broad techno-economic evaluation of the algae cultivation and bio-refinery processes from six locations worldwide. She shows that at current production costs, algae production is already profitable for high-value products. With further cost reductions, achievable within the next decade, algae will become an interesting product on the food and chemical commodities market.

The future of Spirulina: production obstacles and the Energaia approach

external page Ezra Noon-Song is the Technology Director at external page Energaia, a Bangkok based start-up company. He presents his company¡¯s production system for Spirulina, a highly nutritious and sustainable microalgae food source grown on the rooftops in Bangkok. He describes Energaia¡¯s approach to addressing water and space challenges in protein production. Ezra makes direct comparisons and identifies the trade-offs in existing commercial manufacturing methods and proposes future improvements in systems design.

Additional web resources:

Website of AlgaePARC, Wageningen University:
external page www.AlgaePARC.com<http://www.AlgaePARC.com

Poster AlgaePARC, Wageningen University:
Download download poster (PDF, 884 KB)

Banner AlgaePARC activities, Wageningen University:
Download download banner (PDF, 3.2 MB)

Additional web resources:

Novel Proteins for Food and Feed, ETH Zurich Flagship Project  http://www.worldfoodsystem.ethz.ch/news/wfsc-media/2017/04/mathys-in-focus.html   

ETH Zurich Sustainable Food Processing Laboratory, Prof. Alexander Mathys http://www.sfp.ethz.ch/

ETH Globe Magazine Article on algae and insect research
https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2016/12/insekten-und-algen-statt-rinder-und-huehner.html

Contributing to sustainable economy, participation of Alexander Mathys in a Swiss national project
https://www.ethz.ch/content/specialinterest/dual/world-food-system-center/en/news/wfsc-news/2017/10/nrp-79-funding.html

Additional web resources:

EnerGaia website
external page http://energaia.com/

EnerGaia in the international press
external page http://energaia.com/about-energaia/press/

EnerGaia and Spirulina factsheet
Download download factsheet (PDF, 775 KB)

EnerGaia Spirulina production technical brochure
Download download brochure (PDF, 237 KB)