Algal Oil Microalgae oil is one of the most interesting, and healthy, natural products that has grown to gain recent attention. High in omega-3 fatty acids, all natural, and with many benefits outside of calories alone, it should come as little surprise that this product’s omega-3 market share has been increasing quickly and strongly.
Source of Microalgal Oil As the name implies, these fats are taken from from very tiny alga cells. You may have heard of these small algae referred to as “Microphytes” or even just sea-weed. There are many different species and each have slightly different benefits.
Microalgae can, certainly, be discovered to be occurring naturally in the wild, but a safer, more cost-effective, and less environmentally damaging way of procuring phytoplankton is by farming it on purpose, in large, clean indoor ponds through a process called algaculture or algalculture . As an organism, microalgae has a few basic essentials needed for it to grow and thrive: namely carbon dioxide, light, water, and some basic minerals. Just as some plants do better in certain locations, temperatures, and climate condition than others, the water in which microalgae is being farmed must be kept to a specific range of temperatures to encourage growth and keep the algae from dying off.
As long as the right conditions are present, the algae will grow wonderfully, setting the stage for microalgae harvesting and, soon enough, oil extraction.
How Is Algae, As A Crop, Gathered? From the algaculture tanks, the microalgae is harvested any number of ways, such as with tiny screens, a centrifuge, and other processes. Once the microalgae is gathered, the oil can be extracted either by crushing the microalgae cells or using chemical solvents (commonly used in the food industry) to extract the fats.
Health Benefits of Microalgae Oil Once extracted from the individual cells, microalgae oil is bottled and sold, and one of its most popular uses is for its health benefits from omega-3. It is especially popular with people who enjoy the brain-related and heart-healthy benefits of fish oil but are looking for an alternative to fish oil. Fish oil can come with high mercury levels and occasionally, other nasty toxins from pollution of fish stocks, while microalgae oil is grown in a clean environment. In addition, fish oil is an animal product, which can be a problem for vegans.
Specific health-promoting properties and benefits are from micro-algae oil’s high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been reported in popular media to be associated with all of the following: * Preventing cardiovascular disease * Improving immune health * Boosting cognitive performance / brain health * Reducing and preventing inflammation
Other Uses Interestingly enough, microalgae oil was not cultivated for its health uses originally. Although many species of algae can be (and are) used in food, algalculture began originally as a way to harvest algae cells for other uses.
One of the main uses of algae oil, besides health, is as a source of energy. As fuel, algal oil is far more productive by mass and effective than other biofuel sources, with very earth-friendly emissions. However, due to its prohibitive costs, algae oil is currently better suited to use in small quantities (such as for a health supplement) than in large ones (as a source of energy for a car).
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