Spirulina (dietary supplement)

The species A. maxima and A. platensis were once classified in the genus Spirulina. The common name, spirulina, refers to the dried biomass of A. platensis,^[3] which belongs to photosynthetic bacteria that cover the groups Cyanobacteria and Prochlorophyta. Scientifically, a distinction exists between spirulina and the genus Arthrospira. Species of Arthrospira have been isolated from alkaline brackish and saline waters in tropical and subtropical regions. Among the various species included in the genus Arthrospira, A. platensis is the most widely distributed and is mainly found in Africa, but also in Asia. A. maxima is believed to be found in California and Mexico.^[4] The term spirulina remains in use for historical reasons.^[2]

Arthrospira species are free-floating, filamentous cyanobacteria characterized by

• Baking soda
  16 g/L (61 g/US gal)
• Potassium nitrate 2 g/L (7.6 g/US gal)
• Sea salt- 1 g/L (3.8 g/US gal)
• Potassium phosphate 0.1 g/L (0.38 g/US gal)
• Iron sulphate 0.0378 g/L (0.143 g/US gal)

Historical use

Spirulina was a food source for the

Spirulina was found in abundance at Lake Texcoco by French researchers in the 1960s, but no reference to its use by the Aztecs as a daily food source was made after the 16th century, probably because of the draining of the surrounding lakes for agriculture and urban development.[5] The topic of tecuitlatl, which was discovered in 1520, was not mentioned again until 1940, when the Belgian phycologist Pierre Dangeard mentioned a cake called dihe consumed by the Kanembu tribe, who harvest it from Lake Chad in the African nation of Chad. Dangeard studied the dihe samples and found it to be a dried puree of the spring form of the blue-green algae from the lake. The dihe is used to make broths for meals, and also sold in markets. The spirulina is harvested from small lakes and ponds around Lake Chad.^[11]

During 1964 and 1965, the botanist Jean Leonard confirmed that dihe is made up of spirulina, and later studied a bloom of algae in a sodium hydroxide production facility. As a result, the first systematic and detailed study of the growth requirements and physiology of spirulina was performed as a basis for establishing large-scale production in the 1970s.^[2][4]

Food and nutrition

Spirulina is being investigated to address

Dried spirulina contains 5% water, 24% carbohydrates, 8% fat, and about 60% (51–71%) protein.^[14][15]

As seen in the table of nutritional value, provided in its typical supplement form as a dried powder, a 100-g amount of spirulina supplies 290

Various studies on spirulina as an alternative feed for animal and aquaculture have been done.[4] Spirulina can be fed up to 10% for poultry ^[25] and less than 4% for quail.^[26] An increase in spirulina content up to 40 g/kg (0.64 oz/lb) for 16 days in 21-day-old broiler male chicks resulted in yellow and red coloration of flesh, possibly due to the accumulation of the yellow pigment zeaxanthin.^[27] Pigs^[28] and rabbits^[29] can receive up to 10% of the feed and increase in the spirulina content in cattle resulted in increase in milk yield and weight.^[30] Spirulina has been established^[4] as an alternative feedstock and immune booster for bigmouth buffalo,^[30] milk fish,^[31] cultured striped jack,^[32] carp,^[33][34] red sea bream,^[35] tilapia,^[36] catfish,^[37] yellow tail,^[38] zebrafish,^[39] shrimp,^[40][41] and abalone,^[42] and up to 2% spirulina per day in aquaculture feed can be safely recommended.^[4]

Research

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, scientific evidence is insufficient to recommend spirulina supplementation for any human condition, and more research is needed to clarify whether consumption yields any benefits.^[1] Administration of spirulina has been investigated as a way to control glucose in people with diabetes, but the European Food Safety Authority rejected those claims in 2013.^[43] Spirulina has been studied as a potential nutritional supplement for adults and children affected by HIV, but there was no conclusive effect on risk of death, body weight, or immune response.^[44][45]

Risks

Spirulina may have

These toxic compounds are not produced by spirulina itself,[48] but can occur if spirulina batches are contaminated with other, toxin-producing, blue-green algae. Because the U.S. considers spirulina a dietary supplement, its government does not regulate its production and enforces no safety standards for its production or purity.^[47] The U.S. National Institutes of Health describes spirulina supplements as "possibly safe", provided they are free of microcystin contamination, but "likely unsafe" (especially for children) if contaminated.^[1] Given the lack of regulatory standards in the U.S., some public-health researchers have raised the concern that consumers cannot be certain that spirulina and other blue-green algae supplements are free of contamination.^[47] In 1999, Health Canada found that one sample of spirulina was microcystin-free. ("...0/10 samples of Spirulina contained microcystins.")^[49]

Heavy-metal contamination of spirulina supplements has also raised concern. The Chinese

Like all protein-rich foods, spirulina contains the essential amino acid phenylalanine (2.6–4.1 g/100 g),^[5] which should be avoided by people who have phenylketonuria, a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from metabolizing phenylalanine, which then builds up in the brain, causing damage.^[51]

Spirulina contaminated with microcystins has various potential toxicity, especially to children and pregnant women,^[52] including liver damage, shock, and death.^[1]

In 2024, a literature review on the allergic properties of spirulina was published. It was noted that to date (by July 2023), there have been 5 cases of allergy to spirulina, with 4 out of 5 cases resulting in anaphylaxis according to the classification from the World Allergy Organization's Anaphylaxis Guidance of 2020. Based on their research findings, instances of spirulina allergy are infrequently reported or identified., potentially due to spirulina's ability to inhibit mast cell degranulation, a critical component of allergic reactions.^[53]

See also

• Aphanizomenon flos-aquae
• Collaborative Inter-Governmental Scientific Research Institute

References