Declared
in 1974 by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the best food of the future,
spirulina continues to astonish researchers for its nutritional values, health
benefits, and its ability to thrive in diverse and extreme environments such as
space. Indeed, this microalgae is already used by NASA and the European Space
Agency astronauts to enhance their nutritional intake. Research is even
underway to assess its production on board spacecraft.
Already
harvested and used as food by the Aztecs, the Mayans, and various African
populations for hundreds of years, spirulina not only helps prevent famines but
can also be consumed daily to improve our health.
Numerous
studies began in the 1960s, and it was quickly found that spirulina was one of
the most concentrated and complete foods available. Spirulina is rich in
proteins, vitamins, minerals, polysaccharides, and polyunsaturated lipids.
Proteins:
In
fact, 60 to 70% of its weight is composed of complete proteins, meaning it
contains all the essential amino acids. Moreover, its proteins are very easy to
digest and absorb because spirulina has no cell walls. Incomparison, spirulina
contains three times more protein than beef and four times more protein than
tofu!
Vitamins:
Spirulina
is also rich in vitamins such as beta-carotene (vitamin A), B-complex vitamins
including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), folic
acid (B9), vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K. To give a better
idea of its nutritional superiority, spirulina contains 15 times more vitamin A
than carrots!
Minerals:
At this
level, the findings are similar. This astonishing microalgae is rich in
essential minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus,
selenium, sodium, boron, iodine, and zinc. To better understand how
concentrated it is, spirulina contains 13 times more iron than beef and 12
times more iron than spinach!!! In terms of calcium, spirulina contains 180%
more than milk!
Polysaccharides:
Rich in
polysaccharides, spirulina contains nearly 50 different polysaccharides, each
with distinct activities. The health benefits are therefore multiple, and
several studies are currently underway to better understand them and how they
work. So far, studies have shown anticancer, antioxidant, immunomodulatory,
hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antithrombotic, antiviral activities, and even the
ability to regulate intestinal microbiota.
Phycocyanin:
Containing
phycocyanin, a pigment responsible for the blue color, spirulina would have an
antioxidant effect 20 times greater than vitamin C. Research shows that this
blue protein pigment also has analgesic properties and protective effects for
the brain.
Gamma-Linolenic
Acid:
Rich in
gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), spirulina contains between 2 and 4% of GLA, which
represents a significant advantage for health. This polyunsaturated fatty acid
is known to contribute to preventing cardiovascular diseases. Indeed,
gamma-linolenic acid helps decrease blood lipid levels and regulate blood
pressure. Also, its antioxidant properties may be linked to cancer prevention.
GLA also has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce eczema,
atherosclerosis, and even arthritis.
Variable
Nutritional Values:
Beyond
the exceptional qualities of spirulina, studies have found that its nutritional
values vary widely. This was the finding of a study that analyzed the different
spirulinas found on the market. There are significant differences among the
available products, as well as from one batch to another batch for the same
brand of spirulina. Several factors influence spirulina cultivation and thus nutritional
values. The study highlights that products from open-air spirulina cultivation is
particularly impacted and this cultivation leads to variable nutritional
values.
Since
various spirulina cultivation techniques exist, studies recommend cultivating
spirulinas in a controlled environment. Several parameters during its
cultivation can vary the nutritional qualities of spirulina. The more
controlled the cultivation, the better the spirulina obtained. Also, if its
cultivation is standardized, its nutritional values will be more consistent
from batch to batch. That is why Land Art chose spirulina from greenhouse
cultivation. All parameters are then controlled 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
to guarantee the best spirulina possible for each batch.
Apart
from its great nutritional values, it is important to note that spirulina is
ecological and very good for the environment. Indeed, its cultivation has many
advantages for the environment as well as productivity. Here are some of the
advantages of its cultivation:
1- Spirulina
cultivation requires less water than soybean cultivation, corn cultivation, or
even cattle farming, making it a superior protein source.
2- Spirulina
cultivation requires less energy than soybeans (20 times less), corn (40 times
less), and beef (200 times less).
3- Spirulina
cultivation does not require fertile soil.
4-Spirulina
cultivation requires less space than any other crops.
5- Its
yield per hectare is 17 times higher than soybeans, 10 times higher than wheat,
and 9 times higher than rice.
6- Spirulina
helps purify water and converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, making it have a
positive impact on the environment.
7- Spirulina
cultivation is very fast. Only 2 to 3 weeks are needed before harvesting and
consumption.
With
the increase in the world population and the scarcity of new arable land,
spirulina can become an essential food thanks to its nutritional qualities,
rapid growth, energy efficiency, and low water consumption.
Cheers!
References :
1. Sharoba, A. M., 2014. Nutritional
value of spirulina and its use in the preparation of some complementary baby
food formulas. J. Food and Dairy Science. 2014, Vol.5 (8): 517-538. https://jfds.journals.ekb.eg/article_53033_3d808e5fb43c77e6078e92383cc9399e.pdf
2. Maarten et al, 2019. High
variability in nutritional value and safety of commercially available Chlorella
and Spirulina biomass indicates the need for smart production strategies.
Bioresource Technology. 2019 March 247-257. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960852418317206?via%3Dihub
3. Kadam et al, 2022.
Superfoods for sustainable development: Spirulina. Int. Journal of Advanced
Research in Science, Communication and Technology. 2022 Dec, Vol.2 (3):
245-249.
https://ijarsct.co.in/Paper13945.pdf
4. Garg et al, 2023.
Spirulina: The unlimited package of nutrition. AIP
Conf. Proc. 2535, 030027 (2023)
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Garcia et al, 2017. Microalgae, old sustainable food and
fashion nutraceuticals. Microb. Biotechnol. 2017 Sep; 10(5): 1017-1024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5609256/#:~:text=Moreover%2C%20Spirulina%20was%20declared%20by,is%20able%20to%20be%20administered
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Garcia et al, 2017. Spirulina: A food for all. 2017
Jul.
https://la-voie-bleue.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/POSTER_SCIENTIFIQUE_V3.pdf
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Choopani et al, 2016. Spirulina: A source of
gamma-lionoleic acid and its applications. Journal of Applied Biotechnology
Reports , Vol 3(4), Autumn 2016l 483-488.
https://www.biotechrep.ir/article_69237_59a171e249f5bdb0bb46a6973be34910.pdf
8.
Wang et al, 2018. Extraction of polysaccharide from Spirulina
and evaluation of its activities. Evid. Based Complement Alternat. Med. 2018:
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5925140/
9.
Xiaopeng et al, 2023. Polysaccharides from Spirulina
Platensis: Extraction methods, structural features and bioactivities diversity.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2023, March, Volume 231.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141813023000855
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Zhu et al, 2020. Analysis of the anti-fatigue activity
of polysaccharides from Spirulina platensis: role of central
5-hydroxytryptamine mechanisms. Food & Function. 2020, Issue 2.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/fo/c9fo02804h
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Uppin et al, 2022. Polysaccharide from Spirulina
platensis Evokes Antitumor Activity in Gastric Cancer via Modulation of
Galectin-3 and Exhibited Cyto/DNA Protection: Structure- Function Study. J.
Agric. Food Chem. 2022, June 7058-7069.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.16.473001v1.full
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Blas-Valdivia et al, 2022. C-Phycocyanin prevents
acute myocardial infarction-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and cardiac
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