Description
Photobiological cultivation of algae followed by chemical extraction yields proteins, lipids and polysaccharides for food use.
Technical
Algae are grown in photobioreactors at 20–30 °C, pH 7–8 and 200–400 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ light, producing 10–30 g L⁻¹ biomass in 7–14 days. Downstream, lipids are extracted with supercritical CO₂ (35–40 °C, 100–200 bar) and proteins are recovered by alkaline solubilisation (pH 9–10) and isoelectric precipitation (pH 4.5–5.0), achieving 10–30 % oil and 70–85 % protein yields.
Science
Primary Reaction
Photosynthetic carbon fixation and subsequent supercritical CO₂ lipid extraction / alkaline protein solubilisation
Sensory Profile
Aroma ()
marineearthygreennuttybrinyfreshmineral
Wine Analogy
Like a crisp Muscadet with marine minerality