Spirulina as a food

Spirulina contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55% and 77% by dry weight. It is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine, and lysine when compared to the proteins of meat, eggs, and milk. It is, however, superior to typical plant protein.

Spirulina provides you with tremendous energy and nourishment. It has no bad cholesterol. It has 18 amino acids and is richest source of beta-carotene. A perfect health supplement, spirulina is one of the few plant sources of vitamin B12, usually found only in animal tissues

Spirulina is a food source and cash crop, this makes it an excellent choice for the developing world.

You can add spirulina powder to fruits or vegetables juices or to enhance the nutritional content of dishes. It adds taste to other foods like pasta and soups. But make sure you avoid cooking it because it contains lot of nutrients specially the vitamins which may get lost during your cooking process.

Growing Spirulina

Spirulina is grown on amonia-rich water and can be grown in large open ponds (known as raceway ponds) in a special container known as a bioreactor. Pond growth tends to take up a lot of space and water and can be open to bacterial infection resulting in the loss of whole crops.

Raceway ponds being used to grow Algae. This method can take up a lot of room and are susceptible to infections.

An example of a photobioreactor. This method allows for better control of the growing enviroment.

Hydroponics4life use containers to grow Spirulina, known as Photobioreactors (PBR). Phtobioreactors use light and a rich nutrient water which is constatly moving to allow for better quality of crop (in the case of spirulina it allows it to grow in tighlty packed sprials) and reduces the loss of water due to evaporation.

Bioreactors can be expensive but hydroponics4life is developing containers that are very cheap to build, easy to run and can be stored almost anywhere out of direct sunlight. They will help produce food for comsumption and sale in some of the poorest communties in the world.

Spirulina as fuel

Spirulina has a high carbohydrate content and is a very good bio-product to be turned into bioethanol and used to run cars, generators or farming machinery very easily.

In January 2009 a Continental Boeing 737 tested algae-based fuel in a 50-50 mix and the plane performed perfectly. The test pilots described the flight as text and no special modifactions were made to the plane, making the biofuel cost efficent and good for the enviroment.