Chlorella: A brief history

In or near the bodies of water on our planet, there are 25,000 species of algae which are elementary plants without roots, stems, branches and leaves. Algae usually contain chlorophyll and green algae are the simplest green living organisms.

Like other chlorophyll containing plants, algae convert inorganic chemical elements to organic matter by using light energy and photosynthesis. They form the first link in the series of organisms that makes up the Earth's food chain.

Chlorella First Identified Around 1900

By the early 1900s, realizing that chlorella consists of 60% protein and multiplies very fast, scientists in various countries, especially in Germany, began to research the idea of making food from chlorella.

Although the research was interrupted by the two world wars in Europe, the enthusiasm for chlorella research carried on. In 1948, a pilot study at Stanford Research Institute in growing chlorella was successful. However the study had to be closed due to financial problems. In the 1950s, the Carnegie Institute took over the study and they concluded that chlorella could be grown on a commercial scale and would be a solution to help world hunger.

Initial Interest In Chlorella Was As A Food Source

In 1957, a non-profit organization called Japan Chlorella Research Centre was founded and the world's largest chlorella culturing pool was constructed. After that, another organization, Japan Chlorella Associations, was established with government's financial aid.

The aim was to commercialise chlorella as a food. However, the plans were scrapped in 2 years because other foods such as rice or wheat had become more available and chlorella could not compete due to its higher cost. Another reason chlorella could not be commercialised as a food at that time was its low digestibility.

Improving Chlorella Digestibility Was Key To Its Widespread Use

Although the naturally tough chlorella cell wall had protected the valuable nutrients inside the cell for 2.5 billion years, it proved to be a disadvantage for human consumption. The problem of digestibility was solved in 1975 when a patented procedure was developed that breaks down the chlorella cell walls and yields a digestibility rate over 80%. There are now many other patented procedures that effectively break down the cell walls.

In the 1960s, the Japanese scientists turned their attention to the possibilities of chlorella as a promoter of good health. It was found that chlorella contains an astonishingly wide variety of vitamins and minerals and other nutrients. Additionally, it has many unknown factors in nature.

One can take vitamins and minerals and still not get the same effects as with chlorella.