As an island race, food derived from the sea was once a major part of the British diet. This not only included fish and shellfish, but also algae in the form of seaweed, such as that in traditional Welsh lava bread. Although acceptance of algae as a food has had a revival in recent years, with the introduction of more Japanese food into the diet, scientists and industrialists believe that its economic importance is far greater.
To explore the commercial potential of algae, InCrops, based in the Norwich Research Park Innovation Centre, UK, has been working with its partners on the development of a micro-algal pilot plant. The potential of algae as a platform in industrial biotechnology is generating considerable interest as it can be cultivated to produce a wide range of high value end products, such as bioactive cosmetic ingredients and nutraceuticals.
There is particular interest in the use of algae to provide a vegan source of omega-3 and -6, ingredients used in health supplements that have been taken for decades. Whereas cod liver oil and fish oil are currently still the primary source, algae is attracting growing interest as primary producers of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
There is particular interest in the use of algae to provide a vegan source of omega-3 and -6
The biggest hurdle to microalgal cultivation is successful scale-up and the creation of an economic cost of production. Microalgal cultivation in the UK is largely still at the research and development stage. At present, pilots (with the possible exception of the Boots-PML venture at Nottingham) are too small to make commercially meaningful projections. The volumes of algae produced are insignificant compared with the requirements of most industries interested in the material as a feedstock. However, this is being addressed by taking a holistic approach to resource management in which one industry’s waste is another’s raw material.
Cultivation of Algae
Cambridge Water (now part of South Staffordshire Water) approached InCrops to investigate whether microalgae could bioremediate a by-product of drinking water purification and, at the same time, produce a useful product. InCrops is now using finance from the INTERREG North West-funded EnAlgae project to test this concept using marine microalgal strains that are capable of making omega-3 fatty acids.
Stephen Kay, former Managing Director of Cambridge Water, said that proving the business case for using algae as an environmental remediator may, in the future, offset the cost of production of algae for other industries. “We have a situation in the UK wherein farmers pay high prices for nitrogen fertiliser, which is applied to the land only to be washed into the water courses in the form of nitrates. The water company then pays to remove the nitrates from the water. Our original thinking was how to square this circle and produce a potentially high value by-product.”
Omega-3 has two components, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), which is anti-inflammatory and important for immune function, and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is the main structural fat for cells and brain development. Highly purified versions of DHA and EPA are already used in pharmaceuticals. Pure EPA has known therapeutic potential for the treatment of depression, schizophrenia and Huntingdon’s chorea. Omega-3 ingredients EPA and DHA have an estimated market value of US$1,286m (71,000 tonnes in 2008) and, currently, most omega-3 is extracted from fish oil.
By growing microalgae in a photobioreactor, we are creating the opportunity to extract essential fatty acids direct from the source
Dr Brenda Parker, Business Innovation Officer at InCrops, comments: “Fish oil is rich in omega-3 owing to the food chain, where algae are at the bottom. By growing microalgae in a photobioreactor, we are missing out the middle part of the food chain and are creating the opportunity to extract essential fatty acids direct from the source. InCrops is working with their partners at the Department of Plant Sciences at Cambridge University to develop the pilot system using a by-product from drinking water purification as a nitrogen rich feedstock.”
Dr Parker continues: “There is the potential for systems like this to integrate with flue gas to accelerate production. The algae are removing the nitrates from the water and are themselves becoming a useful raw material for another industry.” The photobioreactor was designed by Steve Skill, an EnAlgae collaborator, who explains that it has a low energy operation and is capable of removing carbon dioxide from the flue gas.
“The algae produced in the system can easily be harvested, which makes the system particularly beneficial for delicate algal strains as there are minimal shear stresses. Harvested algae can be dried and used as a source of sustainable bioactive compounds for a wide range of markets, he said, adding: “This pilot system of 300 litres can produce up to 270 g/per day of algae (dry weight).” Stephen Kay says that Cambridge Water currently treats 20 million litres of water a day. So, if the pilot is proven to provide bioremediation cost-effectively, then it could be scaled-up.
Industry Potential for Algae
One of the industry attendees at the launch of the photobioreactor was Dr Nina Bailey, Head of Clinical Nutrition at Igennus. Igennus is the only independent manufacturer of specialist fatty acids in the UK and currently extracts it from fish oils. She initiated a discussion about algae as a potential natural source of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, explaining that there numerous health implications related to omega-3 deficiency, which is a recognized and increasing problem.
“The benefits of omega-3 (EPA and DHA) for brain and cardiovascular health and the regulation of immune and inflammatory pathways are widely documented. Government recommendations for EPA and DHA intake are currently set at 450 mg/day, which can be achieved by consuming two portions of fish per week, one oily and one white. However, few people in the UK achieve this from diet alone, particularly as only 27% of the population is known to eat oily fish.”
Deficiency of omega-3 is exacerbated by the over-consumption of foods rich in omega-6
“Deficiency of omega-3 is also exacerbated by the over-consumption of foods rich in omega-6 (linoleic acid), such as common vegetable oils and non-organic meat products. Our high intake of omega-6, coupled with low intake of omega-3, has led to increased rates of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, dementia and inflammatory disorders,” she noted.
The total amount of EPA and DHA in our cell membranes is a useful biomarker of cardiovascular health (the omega-3 index) and the ratio of the specific omega-3 and -6 fats (AA and EPA) tells us about the inflammatory status of our bodies. We can reduce our risk of developing certain conditions by manipulating the omega-3 index and the AA to EPA ratio simply by increasing our EPA and DHA levels.
Dr Bailey continues: “This knowledge has increased the demand for omega-3 and created a strong market for supplements. As our understanding of the unique and individual properties of EPA and DHA increases, so does the demand for them as individual end products. However, whereas DHA can be obtained from both algal sources and marine products, the only really current source of high volume EPA is from fish oil. If we could find an alternative and British source, that would be enormously advantageous.”
EPA is now recognised as a standalone fatty acid with clear health benefits that are independent of DHA
EPA is now recognised as a standalone fatty acid with clear health benefits that are independent of DHA and creates a ready market for algal EPA with clear benefits compared with existing sources such as fish oil, which has problems of heavy metal contamination, sustainability issues and is not suitable for vegans. Additionally, as technology strategy adviser Dr Steve Bone of nu Angle explains, it will also be a ‘natural’ source of EPA.
“It is possible to create a synthetic EPA, but this is a complex, expensive route that would require regulatory approval. For some applications, such as vitamin supplements, this moves the product from a ‘food’ to a ‘medicine’ and new legislation is required. A natural source of EPA, without the fishy taste, would be of great interest to many multinational companies operating in this area,” he adds.
It is not just algal-derived EPA that is of interest. Kevin Harris is Director of Technical Sales at Cambridge Commodities (CCL), a bulk importer of nutritional ingredients, including algae, from across the globe. He noted that they currently stock a number of the strains of algae being grown in the pilot system. Spirulina, chlorella and kelp powders are, for example, proving to be increasingly popular. He added: “I would see the value of algae extracts as ‘super greens’ to boost the nutritional value of other foods or as a source of bioactives for the human nutraceuticals market. A sustainable, local source of these algae would be of great interest to us.”
| About the Norwich Research Park |
| Norwich Research Park is able to offer a unique multidisciplinary approach. This includes microbiologists, nutritionists and food scientists as well as access to pilot integrated biorefining solutions. The Norwich Research Park is home to the University of East Anglia (UEA), the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and four independent world-renowned research institutes — the John Innes Centre (JIC), the Institute of Food Research (IFR), the Genome Analysis Centre (all strategically funded by the BBSRC) and The Sainsbury Laboratory — and more than 30 science and technology based businesses. |
| In addition to the work of InCrops, JIC and The School of Environmental Sciences at UEA contain a number of groups actively working with algae, which includes research on algae genomics and transcriptomics as a basis to improve understanding of phenotype and environmental adaptation. |
Next Steps
To overcome the challenges currently associated with scaling-up algal growth, innovative technologies are essential to optimize productivity and lower the cost of harvesting and processing. Owing to its strong R&D profile and innovation record, the Norwich Research Park in association with its partners is well placed to produce relevant game-changing technologies. These may also include molecular toolkits and methodologies to develop algae as a platform for industrial biotechnology. This sector offers great potential for the generation of intellectual property and high value products and services.
