Post on 04-Feb-2021
Algal biotechnology: facts, fiction and future prospects
John G Day
Coordination Centre:Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Scotland
T: +44 (0)1631 559000F: +44 (0)1631 559001E: biomara@sams.ac.ukW: www.biomara.org
Project supported by the INTERREG IVA Programme managed by SEUPB
Why bother with Algae?
• Algae are debatably the most diverse group of organisms on earth
Why bother with Algae?• Algae are responsible for the oxygen in every second breath you take• They form the basis of the food chain for approx 70% of the worlds biomass• Without algae the world dies!
If algae are such a big deal, how come we never hear about them?
Algal exploitation: Historical perspective
Seaweed being
harvested in 19th century for use as a fertiliser
Kelp Burning: a biotechnology process from the 18th & 19th centuries to produce soda, potash &
iodine
.
Phyco‐colloidsAgar7,500 tonnes of agar with a wholesale value of US$250 million.
Alginates>$120M excluding China
Carrageenan> 50,000 tonnes in 2007/8 with a value of over US$600 million (excluding China)
Alginate: A Natural Chemicalwith Diverse Uses
• Alginates are jelly‐like carbohydrates used for water retention, gelling, emulsifying and stabilising.
• Used in food, drink, cosmetics, medical and chemical industries
• Currently there are some 250 applications
ISP Alginates Plant, Girvan
Girvan one of the world’s largest alginate plant
More than 20 species are used in everyday cookery in Japan, six of them since the 8th century.
Seaweed accounts for some 10% of the Japanese diet
Most important food species in Japan are Nori (Porphyraspecies), Kombu (Laminaria species), and Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida)
Nori a $1 billion Industry
Seaweed Products
http://www.tavay-organics.fsnet.co.uk/soil_improver.html
What about Microalgae?
Historical use of algae:
Food-supplement in central Africa & Central America
Spirullina /Arthrospira
•Chaetoceros calcitrans
•Isochrysis sp. (Tahitian)
•Nannochloris atomus
•Pavlova lutheri CCAP
•Rhinomonas reticulata var. reticulata
•Skeletonema costatum
•Tetraselmis chui
Thalassiosira pseudonana
Aquaculture a multi-billion $ Industry
Current uses of microalgae“Witchcraft”
Dietary supplements
Health foods
Neutraceuticals
Pigments & specialist chemicals
Microalgae & cyanobacteriaCOMMERCIALLY exploited and
grown at large scale
Chlorella spp
Aphanizomenon flos aquae
Arthrospira/ Spirullina spp
Dunaliella salina
Haematococcus pluvialis
Cryptothecodinium cohenii
Production systems: Open
Production systems: closed
Future Prospects – Industrial needs• Pharmaceutical
• New bio‐active molecules with novel modes of action / chemical structure (new chemical scaffolds).
• Need for new drugs (emerging diseases / drug resistance)
• Nutraceuticals• Functional foods (Fatty acids ‐micro algae) – heart
health, obesity control, immuno health.• Probiotics (animal and human)• Anti‐oxidants
• Industrial• Biofuels• New sources of enzymes – biotransformation of
chemicals• .New Cosmetics (cosmoceuticals)
Future product areas
• Biofuels• Foods• Bioactives/ Pharmaceuticals
• Novel enzymes• Specialist chemicals• Green fertilizers• Green insecticides • Bioremediation
Bioactives: pharmaceuticals
•They are, as yet, a largely unexploited biotechnological “treasure store”
ConstraintsTechnological constraints• Production systems engineering problems• Downstream processing/ product
extraction/purification/formulation• Production strain productivity• Production strain stability
Can you protect your IP?• Yes… Can you afford to defend challenges to your patents?• No… Can you protect your know-how by some other method?
Do not forget the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) & the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)!• Are you a BioPirate?
Future prospectsAlgal production- parallels with penicillin production:
March 14, 1942 the first patient was treated for streptococcal septicaemia with U.S.-made penicillin used half of the total supply produced.
By Spring of 1944 the USA to produce 2.3 million doses in time for the invasion of Normandy.
$1000/Kg $100/Kg $10/Kg $1/Kg c/Kg
Reality check:Market driven or technology driven?
Production economics…
Investment…
Conclusions:
There must be a market need.
Production must be reliable AND COST EFFECTIVE.
The technology must be robust and reliable.
Ideally the technology should be a platform for a suite of products.
The technology should be protectable.
Get it right and……. $
Algal biotechnology: facts, fiction and future prospects Algal exploitation: �Historical perspective.Alginate: A Natural Chemical�with Diverse UsesISP Alginates Plant, GirvanFuture Prospects – Industrial needsFuture product areasBioactives: pharmaceuticalsConstraintsFuture prospectsAlgal biotechnology: facts, fiction and future prospects Algal exploitation: �Historical perspective.Alginate: A Natural Chemical�with Diverse UsesISP Alginates Plant, GirvanFuture Prospects – Industrial needsFuture product areasBioactives: pharmaceuticalsConstraintsFuture prospects