Nutritional Properties of Microscopic Marine Phytoplankton. 723kb
The UMAC Difference
The most important thing to remember when dealing with algae is that not all algae are phytoplankton. However, all phytoplankton are algae. In addition, not all phytoplankton are marine algae. The primary difference between our product UMAC-CORE™ and others on the market is that we provide a natural blend of indigenous species with a suite of nutrients.
Marine phytoplankton, also known as marine microalgae, comprise thousands of species of photosynthetic, unicellular organisms belonging to the Kingdom Protista. Temperate coastal waters, such as those along British Columbia (BC), experience high levels of productivity and support a diverse array of microalgal species from numerous groups called classes.
The word “microalgae” is a very broad term for all microscopic, photosynthetic protists. (Technically, algae are not plants because they lack a vascular system.) Microalgae that float or swim in the will-lit regions of the oceans, lakes and other water bodies are termed “phytoplankton”. Microalgae that live on surfaces like the sea floor, wharf pilings, or river bottoms are termed “benthic microalgae”. Simply put, all phytoplankton are microalgae, but not all microalgae occur in the plankton.
“Algae” is one of the most misused terms in the consumer markets partly because in science, the term “algae” can refer to any plant in a wet environment without true roots or leaves. With such a broad definition as “wet environment” distinctions between marine, freshwater or even land based algal growths are often misrepresented. Often the terms “microalgae” and “macroalgae” are used in an attempt to distinguish between microscopic organisms such as phytoplankton and larger organisms such as seaweed or kelp. Although these terms have helped, much confusion still exists.
Just as “algae” has a broad definition, so does phytoplankton. Among the various classes of phytoplankton you find marine, freshwater and terrestrial based species. So, just because someone labels a product microalgae or phytoplankton the reality of what they are using is usually different.
Most of the world’s current production of microalgae for human consumption centers on the genera – Chlorella (Chlorophyceae), Dunaliella (Chlorophyceae), and Spirulina (Cyanophyceae). These organisms generally require extreme conditions to grow, conditions which facilitate easy cultivation due to low risk of contamination (by fungus and bacteria, or by other microalgae). For instance, Dunaliella salina requires very high salanites while cyanobacteria like Spirulina platensis need highly alkaline conditions. Most microalgae species, however, grow best in conditions that are optimal for hundreds of other species. This is primarily why so much research is directed to scaling up photobioreactors – enclosed growth chambers where all aspects of the environment are controlled and contamination is minimized.
The most important thing to remember when dealing with algae is that not all algae are phytoplankton. However, all phytoplankton are algae. In addition, not all phytoplankton are marine algae. The primary difference between our product UMAC-CORE™ and others on the market is that we provide a natural blend of indigenous species with a suite of nutrients.