Microalgae

At Klötze, we work with photobioreactors and fermenters. Together with partners, we also use basins, i.e. ponds, in greenhouses. All three technologies have their advantages and disadvantages. Depending on the algae's requirements for light, temperature and media, they are each suitable for certain species and applications. Our computer-controlled photobioreactor consists of transparent glass tubes totalling 500 kilometres in length and is installed in a greenhouse. This means that the algae are ideally exposed to natural sunlight on the one hand and largely protected from contamination from the environment on the other. In addition to light, they only require water, CO2 and nutrients to grow. No pesticides, antibiotics or similar are used. A first partial harvest after inoculation takes place after only a few days and can then be repeated every second or third day. As we do not use artificial lighting or heating, we can currently produce seasonally from March to November here.

Microalgae are characterised by the fact that they form a lot of usable biomass in a short time, with low space requirements and demands. We ourselves primarily extract the biomass for our B2B partners via two-stage dewatering by filtration or separation plus drying. To isolate the protein from it, a common extraction would be the method of choice. As far as the content is concerned, there is a broad range depending on the species - in relation to the dry matter, between about 10 and 70 percent. The amino acid composition and therefore the biological value is generally good.

With spirulina or chlorella, you already have two microalgae that can contain 60 to 70 percent protein in their biomass. It is difficult to bring completely new species onto the market, as they would automatically be classified as novel food. As the example of nannochloropsis shows, the approval procedure is lengthy and expensive. But there are other options: Currently, wild-type strains are used almost exclusively. However, specially bred varieties with an optimised nutrient content would also be conceivable. Otherwise, it is important to develop the processes and cultivation methods further in the direction of sustainable efficiency and in this way to reduce the still comparatively high process costs.

Up until now, the costs of extracting microalgae protein have been significantly higher than those of meat or classic crops. According to estimates from 2021 by scientists at the ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) in Zurich, among others, it can be assumed, for example, that one kilogramme of protein from soya costs US$ 1, from beef US$ 3 and from microalgae US$ 10. And it is meanwhile generally known that soy cultivation in countries like Brazil is now also associated with major environmental problems. As more companies look at alternatives such as fungi or microalgae and optimise the techniques, the price gap will close. In the foreseeable future, price parity could therefore be achieved for alternative proteins.

The agenda for this year includes planning various projects as a basis for further growth. For example, we are investing in photovoltaics and will optimise the reactors in terms of energy - precisely because of the savings potential and in order to further improve the ecological footprint. New product ideas that we already have in the drawer are to be realised, distribution channels are to be expanded and there will also be a new website.

Internally, the industry is investigating, among other things, the extent to which residual and secondary streams from food production or other areas can be used as a raw material source for microalgae. In my opinion, algae are very well suited to closing material cycles here. In general, more work is needed to educate consumers and manufacturers about the benefits and opportunities.

Among other things, to make better use of the potential of algae to reduce CO2 and improve the food situation, the EU launched the so-called Algae Initiative in autumn 2022. The fact that there are so few algae cultivation facilities in the EU compared to Asia is due to regulatory barriers, less than optimal promotion and insufficient education about algae in general and algae cultivation in particular. As a result, a toolkit for algae farmers, site identification for algae farming, standards for algae components and contaminants, analysis of the algae market and more are planned. (For more information, go to: EU4Algae-Forum)