The Nutritive Value of Waste-Grown Algae

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Abstract
Dried green algae, a mixture of Scenedesmus quadricauda and Chlorella, spp. the ratio of Scenedesmus to Chlorella being approximately 10:1, were found to have a high percentage of protein, ranging from 42 to 50%, extremely large amounts of minerals and of several of the vitamins. The vitamin A (carotene) was extremely high and they are an excellent source of the B-vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, and folic acid. Fair amounts of vitamin Bl2 and ascorbic acid were also found. The quality of the algal protein measured by the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER), grams gain of weanling rats per gram of protein eaten in a period of 28 days, was found to be 67% as high as that in casein. Boiling the algae for 30 minutes improved its digestibility and thus the PER, but the improvement did not make it equal to casein as a source of protein. In a mixture of algae and casein, a PER equal to that of casein alone, was attained only when 75% of the total protein was supplied by casein,, This study indicates that the species of green algae studied may well be considered as a source of food in areas of limited protein supplies. In combination with generally available, cheap sources of food protein with flavors that effectively mask the strong algal flavor and that contain ample amounts of amino acids low in algae, it may become an important protein source for human nutrition.
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