The scientific society is always searching for natural alternatives that can potentially improve our health, the so-called superfoods. One well-known superfood that has been studied for decades, and has proven to have high concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and proteins, besides multiple health benefits it offers, is Spirulina. This microorganism is not a plant but does photosynthesis, it is not a seaweed but is found in the water, being classified as photosynthetic bacteria. Interestingly, Spirulina is the only microorganism that is commercially cultivated worldwide as a food. Studies show that Spirulina has more protein than all other food crops1, being a strong candidate for medicinal use.
Spirulina is cultivated worldwide with estimated marketing reaching $897.61 million by 20272. The microorganism, after cultivated, is dried, crushed to powder, and sold in capsules. Although the cultivation of Spirulina is considered fairly simple, one serious concern among the industry is the uncontrolled exposure to environmental contaminants, such as pollution and other microorganisms. This type of exposure makes the Spirulina product unsuitable for the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals under the FDA’s current good manufacturing practice regulations (cGMP). Another concern is how they can create a Spirulina powder that can have a long shelf life and still maintain its vitamins, minerals and proteins.
An article recently published by Nature shows a scientific finding that describes a possible solution to these concerns3. A new cultivation method that improves indoor cultivation, uses fewer steps in processing methods and is approved by the cGMP. With this new method, Spirulina is considered clean and requires no purification before being orally taken. The Spirulina product is also stable without refrigeration, having a long and stable shelf life, which is required for encapsulated products.
Besides the new cultivation method developed by Jester3, their study shows another fantastic discovery: Spirulina can help combat a bacteria that is a major cause of infant mortality in the developing world, the Campylobacter jejuni. Jester’s research group conducted a lab trial with mice, which were infected with the bacteria campylobacter and then treated with different doses of Spirulina. The blood analysis of the mice indicated that the ones who have taken Spirulina developed antibodies, preventing the disease to spread, and eliminating most of the bacteria in 24 hours. The first phase of the clinical trial with humans is currently ongoing, with promising new findings.
The development of the new cultivation method, allows Spirulina proteins to be stable and clean, increasing productivity and efficacy, surpassing by tens to hundreds of fold, what can be achieved in other food-based platforms4,5. Large-scale production will be needed if Spirulina’s effects on humans are similar to the ones observed in mice. And because Spirulina does not need to be refrigerated when extracted by the new method, will facilitate the distribution of the product around the world, especially in regions lacking high-quality infrastructure.
Spirulina, therefore, presents an enormous potential not just for treatment but also for the prevention of diseases. Dry spirulina powder can be shelf stable without refrigeration, facilitating distribution. Beyond the example of infectious diseases, other research groups are testing the vast applicability of Spirulina against inflammatory bowel diseases, metabolic diseases and oral vaccines. It is worth keeping an eye for discoveries regarding Spirulina, a superfood that is here to stay, with promising new results yet to come.
References
- Gershwin, M. E., & Belay, A. (Eds.). (2007). Spirulina in human nutrition and health. CRC press.
- Bhingarde, S., & Nimse, A. Spirulina Farming: A Superfood.
- Jester, B. W., Zhao, H., Gewe, M., Adame, T., Perruzza, L., Bolick, D. T., … & Roberts, J. (2022). Development of spirulina for the manufacture and oral delivery of protein therapeutics. Nature biotechnology, 1-9.
- Nochi, T., Takagi, H., Yuki, Y., Yang, L., Masumura, T., Mejima, M., … & Kiyono, H. (2007). Rice-based mucosal vaccine as a global strategy for cold-chain-and needle-free vaccination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(26), 10986-10991.
- Tokuhara, D., Álvarez, B., Mejima, M., Hiroiwa, T., Takahashi, Y., Kurokawa, S., … & Yuki, Y. (2013). Rice-based oral antibody fragment prophylaxis and therapy against rotavirus infection. The Journal of clinical investigation, 123(9), 3829-3838.
