8/2/2019 Wonder Gift
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Wonder Gift of Nature: SpirulinaS.N. Sethi G.B.Naik
Central Soil and Water ConservationResearch and Training
InstitutePort Blair, A&N Islands-744101
and Central Soil and Water ConservationResearch and Training
Institute(CSWCRTI)Research Centre, Post Box-12
Sunabeda, Koraput. OrissaHumans have to keep
themselves healthy and fit to havea progressive life. A nation
withhealthy people moves ahead. Inthis context, it will be apt to
beaware of th e fact that nature hasgiven India a very precious
gift inth e form of Spirulina, a blue greenalga. Spirulina is very
rich in proteincontent. It s utility as a dietarysupplement and a
therapeut icsubstance, no t only for animals butalso fo r hum a n
beings, is wellrecogn ised.
Life Cycle & EcologySpirulina is a blue-green alga. I t
belongs to th e class Cyanophyceae,order Nostocales and
familyOscillatoriaceae. It s mUltiplicationgenerally occurs by
fragmentation.I t can be produced Inuncontamina ted water, fresh
orbrackish, and also in sewage - fedsystems. Th e conditions needed
forculturing Spirulina ar e distinct fromother algal forms. These
includehigh alkalinity as well as nutrientcontent. It grows as
multicellularfilaments that ar e helically coiled,hence i ts name.
The f i laments ,which are called trichomes, havenecridia along the
length of thefilaments. The necridia lyse and thet r ichome is
broken into shor tsegments of 2 to 4 cells called th ehormogonia.
The hormogonia growand develop in to the coiledt r ichomes. Being
a. t ropicalorganism, Spirulina is thermophilic;th e optimum
temperature and pHfor most strains ar e 362"C, 9-10respectively.
Spirulina is now beingproduced in many parts of th e world,th e
major producer being th e SosaTexaco in Mexico. The researchwork in
India with regard to theutilisation of this blue - green algahas
largely been focussed on twospecies viz. Spirulina platensis andS.
fusiformis.
Nutritive Role of SpirulinaIn 1947, UN declared Spirulina
as "the best food for tomorrow".World Health Organisation
(WHO)and also scientists from al l over th eworld have confirmed
that it has ablend of nutr ients that no singleplant source can
provide.I tsuniquely outstanding features are:
,.. Every kilogram of Spirulinaon dry weight basis is equivalent
to1,000 kg. of assorted vegetables interms of nutrition.
, Spirul ina is nature ' srichest source of protein.
Spirulinahas more protein, six times morethan eggs, and 20 times
more thanmilk. It stands out among th e algalforms as on e with
protein contentof 60 - 7 2 ( ~ 1 r ) on dry weight basis.
,.. Spirul ina provides allessential and non-essential
aminoacids. It is also the richest sourceof vit. B". In addition,
it containsan excellent blend of Vitamin A, B 'B2 , B", C,O,E,F and
H along with anarray of trace elements.
,.. Spirulina is a good sourceof beta-carotene (1.70mgjkg)
thatenhances and protects eyesight andGamma-Linolenic acid of
Spirulinareduces bad cholesterol in blood, Italso reduces obesity,
alcoholism,and mental disorders.
, . Antioxidants in Spirulinaare th e most powerful scavengersof
free radicals in th e body. Thus,Spirulina can prevent
diabetes,cancer , emot iona l fatigue andstress.
,.. High content of potassiumpresent in Spirul ina
correctshypertension and helps in properfunctioning of heart
muscles andnerves.
, . Spirulina is virtually fat free.So much so , it helps in
uniformweight reduction with no side effects.
,. . The grea test promise of thisalga, particularly in India,
lies in it spotential as poultry feed. It canbecome a rich source
of Vit. A inchicken eggs.
Role of Spirulina inAquaculture
The application of this alga inaquaculture offers a very
promisingavenue fo r it s use in fresh andprocessed form. Based on
FCR andbody weight gains, this algal dietwas found to be superior
to groundnut oil cake (GNOC) an d even moresuperior to natural
foods; b). It hassubs tan t ia l levels of PUFA,(Polyunsatura ted
fatty acid)including y-linolenic acid. which isused In the
synthesis ofprostaglandins in fishes: c). It playsa role in
augmenting pigmentationof ornamental fishes and prawns;d). The blue
pigment, phycocyanin,makes upto 20'Yo of th e dr y weightof
Spirulina. It enhances diseaseresistance and improvesorganoleptic
qualities of the fishesand e). It has also been foundrecently to
have application in theprepara tion of biofertiliser, cattlefeed,
fuel and in the making ofcosmetics.
The commercially availableta blets of Spirulina are
Spiruwin,Nuclina, Vitexid, Zyrullima etc.
CultivationMaintenance o f Stock Culture:Pure Spiru l ina cul
ture can bemaintained on algal slant (2% agar+ medium), exposed to
normal light.Th e culture medium is prepared bymixing chemicals
(gjlit) like Sodiumbicarbonate 18.00, Oi-potassiumhydrogen
phosphate 0.50, Sodiumcarbonate 4.00, Sodium nitrate2.50, Sodium
chloride 1.00,Magnesium sulphate 0.20, Ferroussulphate 0.01,
Potassium sulphate1.00, Calcium chloride 0.04, andEOTA 0.08. Trace
quantities of~ . ~ . ~ . ' ____________-------------------~ _
