spirulina
Belonging to Cyanophyta, cyanobacteria, vibrophytae and spirulina, it is an ancient low prokaryotic single-cell or multicellular aquatic plant with a body length of 200-500 μ m. Width 5-10 μ m。 Like clockwork, it is spiral blue-green, so it is also called blue-green algae.
Spirulina is suitable for high temperature and alkaline environment. More than 35 species have been found, which grow in both light and salt water, while only 2 species are used for production in the world, Spirulina platensis and spirulina gigantica.
Spirulina is one of the microalgae produced in large-scale industrialization. It is not only a rare algal organism with a life history of 3.5 billion years, but also a natural food.
The protein content of Spirulina is as high as 60% - 70%, twice that of soybean, 3.5 times that of beef and 4 times that of egg. Moreover, it contains a complete range of essential amino acids and reasonable composition.
Spirulina is the most abundant and comprehensive organism in nature. Spirulina is rich in high-quality protein γ- Fatty acids, carotenoids and vitamins of linolenic acid, as well as a variety of trace elements such as iron, iodine, selenium and zinc.
Spirulina is highly valued by many scientists and international organizations all over the world for its comprehensive and balanced nutrition and high value of disease prevention and health care. Nutritionists and pharmacists call it "the nutrition champion on earth" and "drug source nova". The World Health Organization identified Spirulina as "the best health care product for mankind in the 21st century" and "future super nutritional food"; UNESCO recommended Spirulina as "the most ideal and perfect food for tomorrow"; The food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also solemnly recommends to the world that "Spirulina is the best food resource and future food for mankind in the future".
The nutritional value of Spirulina Spirulina is regarded as a "micro nutrient bank" by modern science, in which the content of 8 nutritional essential amino acids is close to or higher than the standard of FAO. The ratio of protein, sugar and fat is about 60:20:5, and the nutritional composition is balanced. In addition, it also contains a variety of vitamins and trace elements, including β- The carotene content is 4000mg / kg and the vitamin is up to 1320mg / kg. Eating 15g dry weight Spirulina per person per day can ensure the necessary nutrient source. Spirulina is praised as "the most ideal and excellent food for human beings" by FAO for its high nutrition and high safety.
The safety evaluation carried out by the American dietary supplement Expert Committee shows that Spirulina is safe and has no toxic and side effects.
Spirulina has been widely used as health products all over the world, and has been recommended by the United States and the European Space Agency as one of the main foods for long-term space mission personnel.
Development and application:
1. For food processing: Spirulina has been used to develop a variety of foods, which are made by adding Spirulina dry powder or extract raw materials to conventional food or beverage, each with its own characteristics. The reported products mainly include soy sauce, yogurt, jelly, beverage and noodles.
2. For medical research: Spirulina is rich in a variety of bioactive components, such as β- Carotene, phycobiliprotein γ- Linolenic acid and endogenous enzymes are very beneficial to human health.
3. As feed additive: Spirulina is widely used as feed additive in animal feed because it is rich in protein and amino acids and a variety of trace elements. Some researchers reported the application of this new green feed additive in aquaculture and animal husbandry.
4. Use as bioenergy: it is found that compared with other biological hydrogen production materials, spirulina has the characteristics of high photosynthetic efficiency, fast growth and reproduction, high hydrogenase activity and long continuous hydrogen release time. It is one of the ideal materials for studying biological hydrogen release.
5. For environmental protection: Spirulina needs to absorb and consume nutrient elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus in the water environment and degrade organic matter in the water during its growth and reproduction, and has the characteristics of fast growth and reproduction, high light efficiency and strong adaptability. These characteristics of Spirulina suggest that using wastewater to cultivate Spirulina can purify the water body and reduce the degree of eutrophication; On the other hand, spirulina products with high added value can also be obtained. Therefore, the application of Spirulina in wastewater treatment is a good biological pollution control measure.
