From sushi rolls to gummy bears to the ultimate superfood - algae are said to have been used as food thousands of years ago. Today, they are considered the food of the future and grow under controlled conditions in futuristic algae farms.
"Ordinary agricultural will keep up with great difficulty and there will be 'farms' turning to the more efficient microorganisms. Processed yeast and algae products will be available in a variety of flavors." -
"Conventional agriculture will have its difficulties to keep up, but there will be farms turning to microorganisms. There will be products made from yeast and algae in a variety of flavors,"
said biochemist and science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in 1964.
The natural content of potassium chloride and other trace elements makes algae - such as certain brown algae and seaweed - an alternative to table salt, or at least they can contribute to a significant reduction. Algae could be especially useful for salt-sensitive people, such as those in rehab or elder care. Not to be forgotten, algae are a natural source of iodine, and in some species, such as kombu algae, the iodine content can exceed the daily requirement even in the smallest amounts.
For community, urban, and rooftop gardens as well as for algae entrepreneurs to cultivate high-value algae products that are regional, sustainable, and profitable, Smart Microfarms is creating and deploying scalable microalgae systems.With the addition of high-value algae food products, Smart Microfarms can assist terrestrial, hydroponic, and aquaponic greenhouse farms in diversifying their sources of income.
In a sizable commercial glass greenhouse in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, the first spirulina farm in Northern California was inaugurated in 2016. In a regulated setting, they develop an all-natural product without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. The water is carbon filtered municipal water from Half Moon Bay. Products are offered for sale at SF Bay Area natural food stores, locally and online, and directly to consumers. Many clients like fresh spirulina over the more common dried variety. Consumers who prefer local, fresh, and raw foods choose new fresh and fresh frozen spirulina.
In fact, however, algae will play an even greater role in the future, because population growth and the associated growth in consumption are simultaneously reducing the amount of agricultural land per capita. A shift to the oceans, which after all account for 70 percent of the earth's surface, is probably inevitable.
In our age, with the advancement of our technology, we definitely have the possibility to resort to alternative cultivation methods and to consume new superfoods based on mature research, which are less harmful in cultivation for the environment and which improve the health of millions of people. It would be a waste not to use these alternative resources to our advantage and to stay with old forms.
More information: http://www.smartmicrofarms.com