A green alga more than 2 billion years old
Chlorella is a green alga that appeared on Earth more than 2 billion years ago. Made up of a single spherical cell, it owes its colour to chlorophyll (the pigment of photosynthesis), which it contains in exceptional quantities.
Discovered in 1890 by the Dutch microbiologist Martinus Willem Beijerinck, the genus Chlorella has been divided since 2004 into three species[1]: Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella lobophora and Chlorella sorokiniana. Chlorella vulgaris is currently the most widely cultivated, as it is the best suited to algae farms.
Historically, chlorella was first produced and eaten in Asia, mainly in Japan; very soon afterwards, the island of Formosa (now Taiwan) became the world’s leading producer.
From 1950 onwards, a great deal of research was carried out when chlorella was seen as a potentially useful food to counter a possible global food shortage[2] caused by population growth. Unfortunately, because it is hard to digest in its natural state, chlorella was not considered a viable solution: its cell wall is made of cellulose, which has to be broken down before it can be eaten. Discover our 100% natural chlorella!
Its therapeutic properties, however, have been demonstrated. In Japan, it is even regarded as a food of national importance for health, and an institute for chlorella research was founded there in 1957.
Sources
[[1] Krienitz L. & al.: Phylogenetic relationship of Chlorella and Parachlorella gen. nov. (Chlorophyta, Trebouxiophyceae). Phycologia: September 2004, Vol. 43, No. 5, pp. 529-542.
[2] Ortiz Montoya EY. & al.: Production of Chlorella vulgaris as a source of essential fatty acids in a tubular photobioreactor continuously fed with air enriched with CO2 at different concentrations. Biotechnol Prog. 2014 Jul-Aug;30(4):916-22. doi: 10.1002/btpr.1885.
