Growing algae for food

Many species of algae such as Spirulina algae are very rich sources of food. They contain almost all the Proteins, Carbohydrates, Vitamins and Minerals. Some of the nutrition such as Omega-3 fatty acids presents only in algae other than fishes. Once produced they can be sold to food companies in bulk. But the quality (weather the algae is free from contaminants or not) will determine the price and marketability of the produced algae.

It is very easy and profitable to grow algae for food, if the growing conditions suitable for algae are mate. These conditions include nutrient filled water, sunlight (dim sunlight), additional source of carbon dioxide, suitable temperature, and suitable pH.

There are two major ways of growing algae, these are growing algae in photobioreactors and growing algae in open ponds. Growing algae in photobioreactors involve the growing of algae in enclosed transparent containers, which are called photobioreactors. And growing of algae in open ponds involves growing of algae with out any cover container in an open environment where the algae get direct sunlight. The two techniques of growing algae have their own advantages.

Advantages of Photobioreactors

• They give control on the system such as the amount of biomass produced, the amount of light, the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases, easy to regulate the temperature, easy control of the amount of nutrients in the water and easy control of the pH
• Relatively they have less contamination which comes from other weed or unwanted species of algae. For this reason alga grown for food in photobioreactors is considered high in quality.
• Algae grow and and mature at a faster rate
• There are no evaporation losses of moisture
• Produce expensive algae
• Algae can be produced at any environmental conditions since all the growth factors such as nutrients, temperature, sunlight, pH and amount of gases are artificially controlled.
• It has an advantage over open pond, for its quality, purity and higher price, but photobioreactors are very expensive to setup and to run.
• Photobioreactors require a small area for production, but they require a lot of building facility, which is very costly.

Advantages of Open pond

• Growing of algae in open ponds is very cheap
• It can be done in any open pond
• It can be done at home for extra income
• It doesn’t require any control Other than supplementing nutrients and artificial injection of CO2 and controlling the amount of direct sunlight by providing some shading mechanism.
• Cost effective to produce algae in such open ponds
• They require no building facility, but they need more area than photobioreactors.
• They are easy to set up, but they are very difficult to manage due to contamination and environmental fluctuations. Also evaporation losses of moisture is very high

Benefits of algae

Algae culture is becoming increasingly popular this days, the reason for this is the tremendous potentials of algae as source of bio fuels, drugs, food additive and environmental benefits. Algae are the most dominant living organisms in the ocean and seas, they are also called by ancient Greeks a Sea weed. Algae belong to green plants and they can exist either as unicellular or multicultural organisms. They have a tremendous ability for photosynthesis, in other words they have a tremendous ability to produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. In fact more than 53% of all the oxygen that we breath came from algae. Here are some of the lists of algae’s benefits.

Algae is very useful to reduce the worlds CO2 level and reduce global warming and it is also useful to reduce the CO2 emission level from power plants. All species of algae are capable of reducing CO2 level, starting from the unicellular Chlamydomonas species to the Macrocystis and to the Cyanobacteria, they all have huge potential. The CO2 is pumped into the water body that algae present, and the algae feed upon the CO2. This technique of carbon reduction is the number one list on the agenda of reducing global warming. Because it is easy and cost effective.

Algae used to reduce and remove toxic chemicals and fertilizers from sewages and farm drainage outlets respectively. They also play a great role in Oxygenation of sewages. Some species of algae that grows in seawages include Chlorella, Chlamydomonas, Microactinum, Euglena, Volvocales etc. Algae even helps to remove radioactive wastes.

Algae is a very effective means to purify and filter aquariums and fish ponds from undesirable nutrients and chemicals. In addition to this they have an aesthetic value in ponds and aquariums. Species such as Gracillaria spp, green algae, red algae etc. are both beautiful and good purifiers.

In agriculture they can be used as fertilizers, soil conditioners and livestock feed.

Algae is increasingly becoming as a good source of biofuels.

Algae are a good source many pharmaceutical drugs and antibiotics.

They are a very nutritious source of food and can be used as food additives in many industries. They are also food for aquatic animals.

They are a source a good natural Pigments.

They are a very reliable source of income.

Algae is increasingly applicable in various industries such as cosmetic industry, leather and textile industries.

Algae is the only source of Agar-agar: the culture medium that is used in laboratories. Some of the most common species of algae used as a source of agar are Pterocladia, Gracilaria, Camplaephora, Eucheuma, etc. Agar also used in soups and sauces, ice creams, cakes and pastries. Agar uses are not only these it is also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, leather and textile industries. Agar is a natural laxative, because of its ability to absorb water.

Blue green algae used to fix nitrogen.

Brown algae such as Sargassum and Laminaria species are a very good source of Iodine.

Amount of vitamin C present in some species of algae such as in Sargassum myriocystium is more than that of orange fruits.

One species of algae called Diatoms when decomposed, its earth can be used to make super light bricks.