A NUTRITIOUS ALGAE: SPIRULINA
Spirulina is a blue-green algae. It is a helical member of oscillatoriacae (cynophyceae) with thin transverse walls and occurs in fresh and marine water. It is an ancient food. It was reported by Leonard and Compere (1967) that algae cakes sold at the market of Fort-Lamy, Chad Republique, Africa, were mostly made of Spirulina platensis (Nordst). Gutl. found abundantly in small saline lakes north of Lake Chad in East Africa. It was located on chemical analysis to have a very high percentage of protein, and it was suggested that this spirulina might be a promising food source. Malack and Kilham (1974) reported the rates of photosynthesis are exceptionally high in these lakes and that spirulina platensis is frequent in them.
This nutritious-medicinal tiny alga is now thought to provide a whole range of nutrients from proteins to vitamins (including cyanocobalamin) and minerals. Its protein content, the highest ever reported, ranges between 65-70% and is three times that of soybean and five times more than meat. It has a full range of vitamin B-complex and is an abundant source of vitamin B12, essential for combating anaemia. Spirulina is also a good source of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, having twenty times more carotene than carrots and has high amounts of iron, calcium, phosphorus and trace elements like potassium and magnessium.
Its medicinal values are numerous, and it is a boon to human health, combating protein malnutrition, anaemia and other diseases. The high beta-carotene content is used to cure glaucoma, cataract and night blindness. Improvement in haemoglobin levels and control of diabetes has been reported in developed countries following the administration of two to five grams of spirulina per day.
It has also been used as a remedy for pancreatitis, cirrhosis and hepatitis and as prophylactic against cancer. The algae tablets are also given to increase lactation in nursing mothers and improve their health and immune system. Spirulina can reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels effectively and enhancen health.
It helps to control obesity by affecting levels of phenylalanine, an essential amino acid in the body, thereby suppressing appetite levels. It also contains many polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help reduce cholesterol levels in the body long-term (ten grams of plant introduce thirteen mg of cholesterol in the blood and provide 36 calories of energy).
Cosmetic preparations of algae rich in vitamin E have been found to improve skin health. When applied to cuts/wounds, they help quick healing by promoting cell regeneration.
The algae are cultivated by allowing them to boom in sunlight in a suitable pond containing alkaline water and harvested using some efficient technique involving membrane filters etc. The Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, is working on this product, and it has been launched as a health food-cum-drug.