The origin of Chlorella
A green algae more than 2 billion years old
Chlorella is a green algae that appeared on Earth more than 2 billion years ago. Made up of a single, spherical cell, it owes its color to the chlorophyll (a pigment in photosynthesis) it contains in exceptional quantities .
Discovered in 1890 by a Dutch microbiologist Martinus Willem Beijerinck, the chlorella species has been divided since 2004 into three varieties [1]: chlorella vulgaris, chlorella lobophora and chlorella sorokiniana. Chlorella vulgaris is currently the most cultivated because it is the most suitable for seaweed farms.
Historically, chlorella was first produced and consumed in Asia, mainly in Japan, and very quickly, the island of Formosa (present-day Taiwan) became the world's leading producer.
Furthermore, since 1950, a lot of research has been conducted when chlorella was thought of as a useful food to counter the possible global food shortage [2] linked to the increase in population. Unfortunately, difficult to digest in its natural state, chlorella was not retained as a viable solution. Indeed, its wall is made of cellulose which needs to be broken before consumption.
Its therapeutic properties are proven. In Japan, it is even considered a food of national health interest , and in 1957, the Institute for Chlorella Research was established there.
Sources
[ [1] Krienitz L. & al. : Phylogenetic relationship of Chlorella and Parachlorella gen. nov. (Chlorophyta, Trebouxiophyceae). Phycologia: September 2004, Vol. 43, No. 5, p. 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.