14.09.2014/Kiel. Die wichtigste einzellige Kalkalge der Weltmeere ist in der Lage, sich durch Evolution gleichzeitig an steigende Wassertemperaturen und Versauerung des Ozeans anzupassen. Ein international einmaliges Langzeitexperiment mit der Art Emiliania huxleyi am GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel zeigt, dass das Potenzial der Alge weitaus größer ist, als bislang vermutet worden war.

Fish oil is an ideal source of omega-3 in salmon feed, but the capacity to produce farmed salmon using fish oil as the main source of omega-3 in feed is limited, if the farmed salmon itself is to remain a rich source of omega-3. This means that the salmon feed industry needs access to large volumes of new ingredients that contain omega-3. Experiments at Nofima have shown that a type of algae known as “heterotrophic algae” can fully replace fish oil in feed used for small salmon.

The brilliant green broth with the equally green cubes of jelly looks like a food from the future. Ralf Kaldenhoff, Professor for Applied Plant Sciences at TU Darmstadt, stirs the concoction and says: “You could theoretically eat this.” But the soup and its content have a higher goal: it contains microalgae that could stop global warming. But why are they cube-shaped?

A species of alga that resembles the planet Saturn has been discovered for the first time in the British Isles. The algal species, which is classified as ‚Saturnella saturnus‚, was discovered by PhD student Jeannie Beadle from the School of Geography at the University of Leeds.

Fermentalg, an industrial biotechnology company that specializes in the production of oils and proteins derived from microalgae, has announced the appointment of world-renowned microalgae expert Dr. Hywel Griffiths (PhD) to the post of VP Research and Development. He will also be a member of the Management and Scientific Committees.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a funding opportunity announcement (FOA),“Targeted Algal Biofuels and Bioproducts.”

The algae research unit of Kao succeeded to find an enzyme that can produce a large number of medium chain fatty acids-the main components of natural fats and oils (e.g. palm kernel oils and coconut oils), which are raw materials for surfactants in detergents, shampoos, and other related products.

Beef producers could soon benefit from a protein-rich and sustainable livestock feed supplement in the form of microalgae. The University of Queensland has established an Algae Energy Farm to cultivate and harvest microalgae for a range of uses, including as a feed supplement for beef cattle.

Microalgae need only sunlight and water for the production of hydrogen. However, in order to make hydrogen production by microalgae economically feasible their efficiency has to be increased by 1-2 orders of magnitude. In the current issue of Energy and Environmental Science scientists from the AG Photobiotechnology of the Ruhr University Bochum and the Max Planck Institutes in Mülheim present how an improvement in efficiency can be achieved.

Das IGV (Institut für Getreideverarbeitung) in Nuthetal beendet die Produktion von Photobioreaktoren und schließt damit den Bereich IGV Biotech. Das ist einer Pressemeldung zu entnehmen, die das Unternehmen kürzlich herausgegeben hat. Weitere Aktivitäten im Bereich Algen, wie die Entwicklung und Produktion funktioneller Extrakte, bleiben erhalten und werden in den Bereich „FOODTECH“ des IGV eingliedert.