Dedicated to Hawaii and Hawaiian Spirulina. Cyanotech is the world premium producer and world authority in micro-algae. The author is proud to be associated with Cyanotech has dedicated his life to learning about and promoting spirulina since 1993

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

What is Spirulina and how is it grown?

Someone asked me today what is Spirulina, and how is it grown?

Spirulina is a microscopic blue-green vegetable algae. It is a dried water vegetable eaten since the days of the Aztecs of Central America.

It is cultured in shallow, open ponds (approximately 20 cm deep). In Cyanotech,a combination of fresh water and supplemental deep ocean water is used to grow spirulina. The other components required for growing Spirulina are spirulina, sodium bicarbonate and carbon dioxide. Fertilizers are used and the deep-sea water is added as a rich source of minerals and trace elements. Paddle wheels agitate the water, ensuring even exposure of the algae to the sun for optimal growth and nutritional value.

The algae ponds are initially started from seed cultures that are grown to a certain density and then used to start a larger culture. Once a large culture is established it can continue indefinitely. As the culture grows to full density it is harvested by moving the water onto stainless steel screens. First there is a large filter to remove any debris, and then the very fine Spirulina filaments pass over a tiny mesh screen, which separates it from the water. This collected Spirulina is then further filtered with a filter cloth. Water is sprayed to wash out the soda and salts. It is now ready for drying. Hawaiian Spirulina is dried by patented ocean-chilled drying system.

Once dried, it can be consumed in powder form. Sometimes the powder are encapsulated or made into tablets. The daily recommended dosage is 3 gram.

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