The planet is plummeting into the abyss from multiple different factors from corporate farming depleting the vitamins and minerals in the soil thus less of these critical elements in our food to climate change. Factory farming of animals is not only unethical and immoral but significantly increases the CO2 levels and contaminants in our environment. Utilizing fossil fuels which are creating significant amounts of greenhouse gasses that will impact them for decades if not centuries to come. So, what is the solution to all these massive problems? Micro Algae.
Micro Algae technology has developed to such an extent that it now can compete with agriculture, be used as a substitute for meat and can be used as Biofuel to replace much of the world's reliance on fossil fuels.
What are Micro Algae?
Micro Algae are microscopic organisms found in both seawater and freshwater. They can be classified as eukaryotic microorganisms or prokaryotic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), with more than 25,000 species already isolated and identified. These microorganisms perform photosynthesis, which is an important natural mechanism to reduce the atmospheric CO2 concentration. Micro Algae are also characterized by a short generation time, multiplying exponentially under favourable environmental conditions.
The Market for Micro Algae:
The market trend and consumers’ growing interest in natural and healthy products have forced researchers and industry to develop novel products with functional ingredients. Micro Algae have been recognized as a source of functional ingredients with positive health effects since these microorganisms produce polyunsaturated fatty acids, polysaccharides, natural pigments, essential minerals, vitamins, enzymes, proteins and bioactive peptides.
Omega-3 fatty acids have several health benefits, such as preventing heart disease, healing atherosclerosis, and anti-ageing. Linolenic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are some natural omega-3 fatty acids. Usually, these omega-3 fatty acids are derived from fish oil, but indications suggest that omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil come from zooplankton, which consume spirulina. Thus, microalgae are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Algal PUFA production is more economical than biofuel production, and hence several large-scale producers are now focusing on nutritional PUFA production instead of biofuels. Spirulina is one of the most prominent microalgae due to its high production of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, phenolic compounds, volatile compounds, sterols, proteins, amino acids, peptides, vitamins, polysaccharides, pigments, and food. It contains 15.8% lipid with 4.9% omega-3 fatty acid.
The best technology and lowest costs in these markets are owned by Algae International Berhad. They have driven down costs by 60-90% less than any competitors in the market and significantly increased the quality. Their technology has the capabilities to produce 100’ of different species more than anyone else in the space and they have dropped the capital expenditures for constructing new farms significantly and are ready to deploy 100’s to 1000’s of new locations in the next couple of years which will make them the clear leader in this space. The company is deploying several pilot scales.
AIB has developed economically attractive closed systems for micro-algae production as opposed to the open raceway ponds used worldwide. This major breakthrough will accelerate opportunities within the industry by lowering production costs, vastly increasing the number of species that can be grown, improving yield quality and introducing more flexibility in inputs. NASA has trailed one of AIB’s earlier patented breakthrough systems and that system has now been superseded to be even more flexible and efficient.
New Markets for AIB Micro Algae:
Microalgae Market is expected to reach $1.8 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 10.3% during the forecast period 2021 to 2028. AIB believes that these markets will grow significantly larger in a much shorter period of time by drastically dropping the prices of Microalgae creating materially more products and uses for the compounds.
- Food – Food in all its variety is a vast area and in particular the replacement of unhealthy processed meat is a low hanging fruit. Also, the basics of carbohydrates, proteins, oils, and essential ingredients can all be obtained from microalgae with very high productivity and excellent cleanliness plus, very importantly without the negatives of traditional food. These basics can be recombined to produce food people are used to.
- Protein powders – Plant protein mostly does not have all the essential amino acids in each of them, so most humans get their proteins from secondary sources of meat and fish with all the heavy metals and pathogens thrown in. Protein extracted from microalgae has all essential amino acids without the negatives. It is certainly the way forward.
- Edible oils – Microalgae can produce a large number of different oils and now at a lower cost than oil palm which is the current lowest-cost producer with at least 40 times the productivity per hectare per year. The World has to transition to microalgae so that fossil fuels like crude oil can be replaced. “Nothing is constant except change”
- Ingredients – A large number of ingredients are available from microalgae. Take for example natural colours – all the primary colours, red, blue and yellow are best obtained from them. Some countries are banning synthetic food colours and many more are following that. If sourced from microalgae, we do not only get any colour we want but they are very good for health.
- Nutrients – All the essential amino acids, all the organic minerals, all the vitamins and all other such nutrients can be obtained in a clean and healthy form from microalgae.
- Cosmetics – Every ingredient the cosmetics industry needs can be obtained in a clean form from microalgae.
- Pharmaceuticals – The huge genetic resource of microalgae is the new frontier for pharmaceuticals. Items like omega-3 (Global consumer spending on omega-3 products will jump from $25.4 billion in 2011 to $34.7 billion in 2016, according to a new report from market research firm Packaged Facts.), beta carotene, Astaxanthin and many more are already being produced from microalgae.
- Antibiotics – See http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/15/06/p5626783/microalgae-may-be-new-natural-source-for-antibiotics
- Bio-fuels - a multi-trillion-dollar potential market opportunity with crude oil daily production over 93 million barrels per day – source EIA.
At the end of the day, the world must change dramatically how we produce many of the products we use today with a keen eye on how it impacts human health, animals and other living species and the impact on Global Climate.
