SPIRULINA - YES	SPIRULINA - NO
A vegetarian product (parve)	no GMO
65 % protein d-w	no phyto-estrogens
rich in essential aminoacids not available in other vegetables (methionine, leucine, etc.)	no cellulose then excellent digestibility
5 % crude lipids	no lignine, attractive palatability
probiotic rich in GLA, omega 3 and omega 6	no Salmonella
phosphorus : only 6-7 g/kg d-w, but all P fully absorbable	no Shigella
rich in: · vitamines · betacarotene · phycocyanin, chlorophyll, zeaxanthin	no enterobacterias
· supplied as dry water-soluble powder or granules, non-perishable · can be supplied fresh wet or liquid if required	no biocides

Spirulina nutritional composition

Element	units	value
Humidity of final product	%	~ 10
Protein	% d-w	60 - 70
Soluble carbohydrate		16
Crude lipids		5
Poly-un-saturated fatty acids		1.5
Cholesterol		0.013
Energy	kcal / g d-w	3.6

Minerals
P	g / 100 g d-w	0.7
Ca		1.5
Fe		0.2
Magnesium		0.32
Ash		6

Aminoacid composition (* essential ones)
Iso leucine *	g / 100 g d-w	3.6
Leucine *		6.2
Lysine *		3
Methinone *		1.7
Cysteine		0.6
Phenylalanine *		2.9
Tyroxene		3
Trionine		3.3
Tryptophan *		1.3
Valine *		4.3
Glutamic acid		7.3
Aspartic acid		5.3
Serine		3.7
Arginine		4.8
Histidine *		2.8
Threonine *		3.3
Proline		4
Alanine		10
Glycine		6.5

Lipids and fatty acids
Crude lipids	% d-w	5-7
SFA - Saturated Fatty Acids	% of total lipids	40-60
UFA - Unsaturated Fatty Acids		40-60
n-3 Poly unsaturated fatty acids		3-6
n-6 Poly unsaturated fatty acids		20-30

Vitamins
Betacarotene (precursor of Vitamine A)	g / 100 g d-w	0.14
Vitamin C		0.02
Thiamin (B1)		0.003,7
Riboflavin (B2)		0.004,6
Niacin		0.013
Vitamin E		0.004
Vitamin B6		0.000,7
Vitamin B12		0.000,2

Pigments
Total carotenoids	g / 100 g d-w	0.34
Beta-Carotene (see above in Vitamines)		0.14
Zeaxanthin		0.07
Beta-Cryptoxanthin		0.02
Phycocyanin		1.9
Chlorophyll		1.1

Undesirable vegetable components
Cellulose	no
Lignine	no
Phyto-estrogens	no

More details on fatty acids

Fatty acid composition of 3 strains of Spirulina (from Tokusoglu & Unal, 2003).

Percent of total lipid.

More details on minerals

Mineral element contents of 3 strains of Spirulina (from Tokusoglu & Unal, 2003).

mg / 100 g d-w (mean ± S.D.)

For more detailed information follow the links

Tokusoglu, O and M Unal (2003) - Biomass Nutrient Profiles of three microalgae: Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris and Isochrisis galbana. Food Chem Toxicol. 68(4):1144-1148.

Pascaud M (1993) - The Essential polyunsaturated fatty Acids of Spirulina and our Immune Response. Bull. Inst. Ocean. Monaco, Special Vol. 12:49-57

Tiburcio P et al. (2007) - Determination of shelf life of Spirulina platensis grown in the Philippines.

J. Appl. Phycol. 19:727-731.

Diraman et al. (2009) - Fatty Acid profile of Spirulina platensis used as a food supplement.

Israel J. Aquacult. - Bamidgeh 61(2):134-142.

Spirulina as a feed for animals

Neither cellulose nor lignine

Spirulina shows very good digestibility because it has neither cellulose nor lignine.

Blue-green algae have complex walls with an energetically rather costly biosynthesis; neither in composition nor in biosynthesis do they have any common ground with the cell walls of plants (Botany Online - University of Hamburg-Germany).

Aquaculture of edible fish

Adding up to 50% Spirulina to fish feeds improves meat color, fatty acids content, and survival.

In one experiment, feeding on spirulina helped to improve disease resistance of high value fish resulting in an improvement in their survival rate from 15 to 30 percent. Habib et al. 2008, page 21.

Spirulina added at 4% to carp poisoned with Cu, significantly improved the physiological and biochemical parameters of the affected fish. James, 2010.

In another experiment it was found that the growth of silver seabream (Rhabdosargus sarba) fed on Spirulina meal at up to 50 % level was usually not different from, and feed conversion efficiency not superior to, those given control diets with solely fishmeal. At 75 % inclusion level, growth reduces significantly, but feed conversion efficiency still comparable to the control diet, which sharply reduces at 100 percent inclusion level. It is better to replace 50 % fishmeal by Spirulina meal so that there will be no adverse effect on growth. Habib et al. 2008, page 21.

In another experiment it was investigated the reproductive performance of the tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fed solely on raw Spirulina platensis. The raw Spirulina (RS) was fed to the parent tilapia (SP to the progenies of the first generation (SF₁) and second generation (SF₂) from the onset of exogenous feeding, compared with the control parent fish (CP) and progenies (CF₁, CF₂) fed on commercial diets (CD). There were no significant differences in the relative fecundities, spawning intervals, and egg sizes among SP, SF₁, SF₂, CP, CF₁ and CF₂. The fertilization rate and the hatching rate of the fertilized eggs, as well as the survival time of starved larvae from the parents fed the two types of diets were similar. The same results were also observed among the successive progenies (F₁, F₂). Significant differences in the fatty acid profile of eggs were observed between the RS and the CD groups, with RS group containing more linoleic acid, γ-linolenic acid, and Σn-6 highly unsaturated fatty acids. Lu and Takeuchi (2004).

In another experiment the same Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus was fed with a mixture of commercial feed and Spirulina at 50%. Tilapia fed with the Spirulina addition showed fillets with more redness and more HUFA-highly unsaturated fatty acids including Omega 3.

Lihono et al., 2010.

In another experiment, Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) was cultivated in ponds with relatively high stocking density and fed with a solar-dried Spirulina added to groundnut cake. The resulting average food conversion ratio was lower than that observed using control fish fed with fishmeal-based ration, but the yield of tilapia fed on Spirulina mixed with groundnut cake was 4–5 higher than that of fish fed on groundnut cake alone. Habib et al. 2008, page 21.

A review by Belay-1996 quotes the following results on using Spirulina for fish feeding:

People eat fish in part because it contains Omega-3 which is an essential component of a healthy diet. But aquaculture fish fed with corn or soy oils do not have Omega 3. As quoted by WikipediA, fish do not actually produce Omega-3 fatty acids, but instead accumulate them from either consuming microalgae that produce these fatty acids as is the case with fish like herring and sardines, or by eating other fish that have accumulated Omega-3 fatty acids from microalgae.

Aquaculture of ornamental fish

The cell wall of spirulina is rich in mucoproteins and enhances the natural mucous layer of the skin, resulting in a shiny appearance of the fins and skin and improved resistance to infection (James, 2009).

In an experiment on the ornamental goldfish, the interaction between Spirulina (30 g/kg diet) and different levels of vitamin E (100, 200, 300, and 600 mg/kg diet) on growth, gonad weight, reproduction, and coloration were studied in Carassius auratus for 120 days. Growth, gonad weight, and fecundity in fish fed the diet containing spirulina+300 mg vitamin E were significantly enhanced compared to other diets. Control fish spawned only once with fewer eggs per spawn than other groups which spawned twice with a greater number of eggs per spawn. Females fed Spirulina without vitamin E laid 703 eggs in two spawnings compared to 1057 eggs in fish fed with the spirulina+300 mg vitamin E diet. Fish treated with other combinations laid fewer eggs. While all combinations of Spirulina and vitamin E significantly enhanced coloration, the combination of spirulina+300 mg vitamin E was the most influential. (James, 2009).

Experiments with 3 fish species showed that adding top-coated algae to the diets of ornamental fish have resulted in color enhancement. Freshwater red velvet swordtails Xiphophorus helleri, rainbowfish Pseudomugil furcatus, and topaz cichlids Cichlasoma myrnae became significantly more intensely colored when fed a diet containing 1.5-2.0% of a carotenoid-rich strain of Spirulina platensis and 1.0% of a specially grown Haematococcus pluvialis for 3 wk. Both treatments were significantly more effective than control treatments with no added carotenoid, and better than treatments with traditional carotenoid sources. Color enhancement appeared to occur via natural carotenoid receptors. Ako et al. 2001.

Aquaculture of shrimps

In the shrimp farming industry many feed additives have been utilized, but Spirulina is the only microalgae additive which demonstrates benefits to growers that offset the initial cost and provide a significant cost/performance ratio. Spirulina was studied as a feed supplement for the giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) and found to significantly improve growth, survival, and feed utilization. In addition to the nutritional benefits, the most profound effect is exceptional pigmentation. Color is one of the major factors that determines the price of several species of the fresh and saltwater shrimp in the world marketplace, just as pigmentation can cause the price of shrimp to vary US$ 5-50 per kilogram. Spirulina platensis contains the highest levels of β-carotene and zeaxanthin of any natural source, both of which are converted to astaxanthin pigment. (Todd, 1998).

A marked increase in carotenoid content of the carapace of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) occurred when Spirulina-supplemented diets were given. The maximum effect was found when 3% Spirulina was added. A practical way to improve pigmentation of cultured P. monodon is the addition of 3 % Spirulina for one month before harvest. Habib et al. 2008, page 22.

Experiments with post-larvae of the shrimp Litopeneus showed that when compared with alternative feeds, larvae fed with Spirulina meal presented the best results regarding final length, development index and survival. Spirulina meal was also the feed that most attracted the larvae even by adding just 0.5 % Spirulina to feed.

Ceballos, 2006 , Sa et al., 2011

Aquaculture of Abalone

Abalone (Haliotis midae) shows good growth when fed a diet containing Spirulina meal. Abalone shows a significantly higher growth when fed diets based on fishmeal and Spirulina than that fed diets prepared with soybean meal, torula yeast, casein and dried Ecklonia maxima. Protein efficiency ratios of Abalone fed formulated diets ranged from 3.3 for torula yeast to 6.5 for Spirulina based diet. It is found that fishmeal and Spirulina are the most suitable proteins for inclusion in practical diets for Abalone. The replacement of artificial diet for post-larvae of Abalone, Haliotis discus discus (Reeve) using Spirulina gives good growth. The metamorphosis rate of abalone post-larvae increases by using Spirulina. Habib et al. 2008, page 21.

Poultry and Egg industry

In one experiment, fishmeal and groundnut cake in a commercial diet containing both protein sources was replaced on an isonitrogenous basis with dried Spirulina 140 and 170 g/kg (starter), and 120 and 128 g/kg (finisher) for broiler chicks. A vitamin and mineral supplement was not added to the algal diets because Spirulina is rich in these nutrients. All the growth parameters of chicks were similar. A more intensely coloured meat was obtained in broilers fed on Spirulina containing diets. Habib et al. 2008, page 20.

In another experiment, the redness of meat of broiler chickens reaches maximum when fed 40 g Spirulina/kg diet, while the yellowness increases in a sub-linear fashion with increased Spirulina in the diet. The overall relationship between the yellowness and zeaxanthin content in the pectoralis muscle usually shows directly significant. Therefore, it is evident that dietary Spirulina influences both the yellowness and redness of broiler flesh, and that the increments in yellowness with dietary Spirulina content may possibly be reflected in the common yellow pigment related to the accumulation of zeaxanthin within the flesh. Habib et al. 2008, page 20.

A review by Belay-1996 quotes the following results on using Spirulina for poultry feeding:

Cattle

There are no quoted experiments on the effect of Spirulina on cattle, but several articles describe the positive effects of other algae. A few quotations are in the linked document.

Other papers quote the increased fertility of cows fed with Omega 3 & 6 (fatty acids contained in Spirulina) in experiments that have been performed in Holland, while similar results on increased fertility in a GLA rich diet (Spirulina is rich in GLA) have been obtained in USA.