Allma Reinvents Chlorella With “Next Generation” Liquid Extract
01 May 2015 --- Allma Microalgae has unveiled a prototype concentrated ‘liquid Chlorella’ that harnesses the natural nutritional power of Chlorella vulgaris in a format that’s easy for food and beverage manufacturers to use.
The new extract is ‘hydrophilic’. This means it is an aqueous extract that includes high levels of some of the water-based nutrients from Allma’s sun-grown Chlorella – including essential amino acids, Vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, calcium, chlorophyll, lutein and zeaxanthin – but none of the lipophilic oil-based nutrients such as Omega 3 and 6. As a result it offers higher solubility than whole Chlorella powder and a significant reduction in the marine taste sometimes associated with microalgae ingredients.
Portugal-based Allma believes the liquid Chlorella concentrate will prove a success with food and beverage companies seeking natural and vegetarian sources to fortify and enrich their products. Over the coming months, the company intends to optimise the extract to suit specific applications and tailor it to maximise levels of specific nutrients as required.
Sofia Mendonça, Business Development Manager at Allma, said: “This is the next generation of Chlorella ingredients. It is a soluble liquid Chlorella that has been developed with the food and beverage industry in mind. It means this amazing natural ingredient is now available for manufacturers to trial it and include it in their products in a form that’s easy and straightforward to use.”
Allma’s new liquid Chlorella has been developed for use in a wide range of applications, including beverages, dairy products and dietary supplements. It will make its debut at Vitafoods Europe next week.
Allma’s Chlorella is cultivated in water and grows naturally through photosynthesis in transparent tubes exposed to sunlight, known as photo-bioreactors. In these closed conditions, Chlorella cells are protected from contaminants. After reaching an optimal biochemical profile, Allma’s Chlorella biomass is pasteurised and spray dried gently to preserve its rich nutrient content.
Allma is a joint-venture collaboration between A4F, a Portuguese biotechnology company specialising in the design, construction and operation of large-scale algae production sites, and Secil, one of Portugal’s largest cement companies.
