Click here to sign in with or

A new high-protein microalgae strain developed by researchers has now been scaled up by Portuguese microalgae producer Allmicroalgae Natural Products as part of the EU-funded ProFuture project. The new Chlorella strain could be used to make vegan food products that not only are more nutritional but also taste better.

ProFuture's vision it is to create cost-effective and environmentally responsible microalgae production technologies that can provide sustainable and nutritious protein-rich foods and feeds. With their high nutritional value and smaller carbon footprint, microalgae are one of the most promising candidates for meeting the food needs of the world's rapidly growing population.

As reported in a news item posted on the Nutrition Insight website, current microalgae-based foods on the market "often have a 'grassy' taste, intense green color and fishy odor" that many consumers consider unpleasant. The new Chlorella strain offers health benefits, has a higher protein content, and most importantly, from a consumer perspective, does not give food products that off-putting fishiness.

One of the organizations involved in the development of the new strain is ProFuture project partner GreenCoLab based in Portugal. Allmicroalgae Natural Products, another project partner, has scaled up the strain's production at its facilities. The new Chlorella has subsequently been shipped to ProFuture coordinator Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) in Spain, as well as to project partners Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) in Belgium and the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL).

According to the news item, ILVO is responsible for determining how the new ingredient will behave in food applications. When these results are released, IRTA and DIL will then partner with food producers "to optimize healthy and tasty formulations using the Chlorella at lab level." The goal is to develop vegan food products such as sausages, snacks, soups, vegetable creams, sports drinks, bread and pasta with improved nutritional value and organoleptic properties.

Arriving at the new Chlorella

To arrive at the new Chlorella strain, the researchers used random mutagenesis—a powerful tool for inducing mutations, used to generate proteins, enzymes and even entire genomes with improved properties. By means of this process, the research team first isolated two Chlorella strains, namely C3 and GL3.

"Although C3 cells presented higher protein contents, GL3 displayed vestigial chlorophyll contents, lower carotenoid levels and higher protein contents than the wildtype, together with a significantly different amino acid profile," the news item reports. Additionally, glutamic acid—an amino acid used to form proteins—"was present in similar amounts as in soy and spirulina, which has not been observed in other strains of Chlorella. The GL3 cells also reached higher cell concentrations than the wildtype, 'strongly suggesting' that it might become a relevant source of protein, being suitable for large-scale production." A safety analysis was also carried out for heavy metals, potential allergens, microbiological stability, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, acrylamide, and cytotoxicity tests and potential residue of pesticides.

The foods made with the new Chlorella strain will be fully characterized from biochemical, technological and sensorial perspectives. The best formulations will then be scaled up by food producers and used to assess market uptake. The four-year ProFuture (Microalgae Protein Ingredients for The Food and Feed of The Future) project ends in September 2023. Explore further Microalgae have great potential as fish feed ingredient More information: ProFuture project website: www.pro-future.eu/ Provided by CORDIS Citation: A new microalgae strain raises hopes for less fishy-tasting vegan products (2022, April 7) retrieved 10 June 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-microalgae-strain-fishy-tasting-vegan-products.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

More from Physics Forums | Science Articles, Homework Help, Discussion

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Phys.org in any form.

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

Medical research advances and health news

The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances

The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web

This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.