Up to now, more and more people have realized the richness of algae nutrition, such as protein, amino acid, fatty acid, algae polysaccharides, vitamins and so on.  But many people don't understand algae well enough to see it as pond scum.  In fact, algae is not only an excellent food source, it could also become a future staple food, after all, the ocean takes up 70 percent of the earth's surface area and contains endless treasures.  This may sound grandiose, but one thing is indisputable - algae are one of the most ecologically beneficial food sources.  

Macroalgae are commonly referred to as algae, including the phylum brown, red and green.  The phytoplankton floating in seawater or fresh water are called microalgae, mainly including cyanophyta, Cryptophyta, dinoflagellates, chrysophyta, xanthophyta, diatoms, euphyta and so on.  At present, there are about 2100 genera and more than 30,000 species of algae, of which microalgae account for about 70%.  

Spirulina is rich in phycocyanin and β -carotene, with protein content up to 60%-70% and protein digestion and absorption rate up to 95%. It is a high-quality protein source.  As early as the end of the 1980s, health food containing spirulina has become a household word, and spirulina has become a national immune health product.  Spirulina maxima and Spirulina platensis were approved as common food raw materials in China in 2004, which also opened the precedent of microalgae food raw materials in China.  At the end of 2020, spirulina was included in the health food raw material record catalogue. The function allowed was claimed to be "enhancing immunity" and officially implemented on March 1, 2021. All of these have broadened the development and application of spirulina in the field of food and beverage and dietary supplements.  Appearance level + strength gives spirulina a new opportunity for development. According to Global Market Insights, the compound annual growth rate of the Global spirulina Market in 2026 is expected to be about 10%, with an estimated value of $2 billion.  

Salt algae and algae extract salt effects by breeding, algal liquid purification, centrifugal separation, were dehydration and purification process of semi-fluid or powder products.  2009 No. 18 announcement approved as new food raw materials, raw materials carotene content of 2-8%, its label, instructions marked halophytes;  The carotene content of the product is ≥ 8%, and its label and instruction manual are marked as salina alga extract.  The scope of use does not include baby food.  The recommendation is no more than 15 mg per day (based on beta-carotene).  

DHA algal oil was approved as a new food raw material by the announcement No. 3 in 2010. It is produced by means of fermentation, separation and purification, and is based on the species of Chytridophyllum SPP. (or Chytridophyllum wuken or Cryptodinoflagellum kecko) as raw material.  Its DHA content ≥35g/100g, daily consumption ≤300 mg (pure DHA), use in infant food should meet the requirements of relevant standards.  In the early days, DHA products were mostly made from deep-sea fish oil (mostly tuna oil) rich in DHA and EPA through molecular distillation process, and DHA from fish oil still dominates the market.  In fact, fish are fed a diet rich in OMgega-3S DHA in the body, the typical food is "seaweed".  To ensure quality and purity, many manufacturers skip the intermediates of "fish" and focus on algae at the bottom of the food chain, hence the algal oil DHA.  One of the highlights of algal oil DHA is "vegetarian". Plant-based DHA is not easy to produce allergens, does not contain cholesterol, and is easier to be absorbed by the human body. It does not have the fishy smell inherent in fish oil, which meets the needs of clean label products and can cater to people of different dietary cultures.  In recent years, the market scale of algal oil DHA shows a rapid growth trend, and infant formula is the most important category of application, followed by food and beverage, animal feed and nutritional supplements.  Omega-3 fatty acid DHA has been proved by a number of studies in promoting the development of infants' central nervous system and maintaining the health of newborn eyes and skin, so it has become a popular functional nutritional factor in infant products.