When swimming in a pond or sea, algae and cyanobacteria usually do not smell, literally or figuratively.But there are types of microalgae that benefit people a lot.Scientists also see their potential in industry and medicine.How can this special group of organisms be used?We dealt with the topic in the journal A / Science and Research.Put one kiwi, a handful of spinach leaves, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a teaspoon of spirulina in the blender… Wait!A teaspoon of what?Spirulina - algae, which is currently one of the foods with many beneficial effects on human health.In reality, however, it is not the algae, but the cyanobacteria.But about that later.Lovers of sirloin and pork will probably not like the recipe for a green smoothie.But fans of healthy eating, such as vegans, vegetarians or macrobiotics, are used to a similar diet.And in fact, it's not as bad as it might seem at first glance.One can easily get used to the specific taste of algae, and if you mix the powder with fruit or vegetable juice, you will not feel it at all.By the way, the Japanese, for example, consume up to ten kilograms of algae a year, especially marine, which we classify as macroscopic.They eat them in sushi (popular nori), soups or salads.They are also one of the nations that live to the oldest age on average and their cuisine is considered the healthiest in the world.However, we will focus on microscopic algae, microalgae.In the Czech Republic, we meet mainly chlorella (Chlorella) and spirulina (Arthrospira).They are available in health food stores and pharmacies in the form of tablets or powder.We can read on the packaging what the benefits of their use are: they support normal blood sugar levels, natural defenses, vitality and help control body weight and maintain muscle mass.They are among the weight loss products found in online pharmacy signposts.Consumption of algae or microalgae is not a modern novelty.There is evidence that the Aztecs harvested the spirulina just mentioned in Lake Texcoco in what is now the capital of Mexico."The natives around Lake Chad still harvest it in the same way.They collect cyanobacteria from the water surface with containers, pour the suspension into hot sand and sell the dried cakes under the name dihé on local markets, "says Ondřej Prášil, head of the Algatech Algal Biotechnology Center, Třeboň Institute of the Institute of Microbiology of the ASCR.Local scientists focus on the research of microscopic algae and their use in industry and medicine.It is one of the world's best in the field of basic and applied research of microscopic algae, cyanobacteria and photosynthetic bacteria, including the development of algal biotechnologies.The center has also been involved in the Food for the Future research program of the AV21 Strategy platform, and even "algae on a plate" are no stranger to workers.The first algae formed more than a billion years ago from photosynthetic bacteria, cyanobacteria."The non-photosynthetic unicellular ancestor of algae ate the photosynthetic cyanobacterium, and instead of digesting it, it kept it alive, tamed it, and the cyanobacteria became part of its body and metabolism," explains Ondřej Prášil.This created the first chloroplasts, a kind of light-powered engine that supplies algae with energy and building materials for their metabolism.And because this process (endosymbiosis) has taken place many times and repeatedly in different groups of protozoa, there are today a large number of groups of algae that are evolutionarily very distant from each other.The number of algae species has changed significantly during evolution.Whole groups were dying out, and others were appearing instead.The Algatech Center website states that there may be up to a million species of algae today.How did such a number come about when about 50,000 species are described using classical taxonomic methods based on collection, isolation of samples and microscopic observations?According to Ondřej Prášil, the number of species is growing thanks to modern metagenomic methods based on isolation, sequencing and DNA analysis of all microorganisms in the found samples.However, scientists know most of them only from their genetic information.They can group them into related species, but they often have no idea what they look like.Another peculiarity of these organisms is their incredible adaptability and resilience.They live wherever they have the conditions, at least a little light and water.These are all areas of the oceans, freshwater environments, rock surfaces, soil, tree bark, but also truly extreme environments - the eternally frozen ice of Antarctic lakes, thermal springs and geysers or sand crusts in the deserts.In terms of consumption, it is similar to algae and cyanobacteria as with mushrooms.Only some are edible for humans, others contain known toxins and can be dangerous for the body."Without deeper knowledge, I do not recommend experimenting in this direction.As a dietary supplement, we use a relatively limited number of species of microscopic algae - the most well-known are mainly green algae of the genera Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Haematococcus, Dunaliella or spirulina, "calculates Ondřej Prášil.Many species must be processed first - chlorella, for example, has a rigid cell wall that must be crushed to be digestible.Ondřej Prášil is the head of the Algatech Algal Biotechnology Center in Třeboň.(CC)Let's take a closer look at the two most famous representatives.Thanks to the balanced content of amino acids, minerals and high content of antioxidants, chlorella is an excellent dietary supplement.In addition, it contains a group of substances called CGF (chlorella growth factor), which promote tissue healing.It is also rich in natural antibacterial agents."In the eighties, chlorella experts from Třeboň together with Bioveta developed the injectable preparation Ivastimul, which served in veterinary medicine to support immunity," the scientist recalls the success of his home workplace.Rather, they grow chlorella out of nostalgia in Třeboň to this day.It grows fast, it's such a mess between algae.At the beginning, it was not considered at all as a product, it served primarily as a suitable organism for basic research in photosynthesis.Around the end of the fifties, it was found to have a good composition for animal and human nutrition.In 1960, her research moved from Košice to Třeboň, where the Laboratory for Algae Research was established, and the tradition of the current workplace continues.Although spirulina is a cyanobacterium, ie photosynthetic bacteria, it is technologically one of the microalgae.It has a rather blue-green color and excels in a particularly high protein content.It is three times the source of soy.It is also reported to contain five times more chlorophyll (it has strong detoxifying effects) than wheat, twelve times more than barley and fifty times that of alfalfa.It also wins over carrots, it contains fourteen times more beta-carotene."In addition, it has a technological advantage, it grows in a relatively extreme environment, which is easy to prepare.Therefore, there is no danger that other, undesirable species of cyanobacteria will appear in the harvest, "explains Richard Lhotský, who is in charge of applying the results of microalgae research in practice or cooperation with the commercial sphere at the Algatech Center.Growing spirulina is so simple that it can handle basic tools in small rural settlements in South Asia or Africa."I would be an unrealistic dreamer if I thought microalgae would solve the potential food crisis.Such statements were made there seventy years ago, but even the most famous algae are still sold only as a dietary supplement, "responds Richard Lhotský.As far as nutrition is concerned, spirulina seems to be the most promising so far.Three teaspoons of dried cyanobacteria are said to cover half of children's daily protein intake.At the Algatech Center, Richard Lhotský is in charge of transferring research results into practice and cooperating with the commercial sphere.(CC)The biggest obstacle to commercial microalgae cultivation is price."We are not talking here about harvesting a green pond, but about the guarded culture of one organism, one strain," explains Richard Lhotský.In his opinion, there are two ways.The first is that they will look for substances that are so valuable that their relatively high price will not be an obstacle.These are typically drugs, dietary supplements, cosmetic raw materials, biological plant protection products and the like.The second way is to reduce cultivation costs, where various "waste" sources can be used - nutrients, carbon dioxide, heat.As a research institution, the Třeboň workplace also embarks on a third, untrodden and long journey - it has research in the field of molecular genetics and synthetic biology.This direction is also suitable for traditional agriculture.So could we call microalgae a "superfood"?Richard Lhotský calms the hopes again: "In the case of spirulina and children's nutrition in poor areas of the tropics, I would perhaps use the term superfood, but otherwise I leave it to promotional leaflets."He would rather choose the term "functional foods", ie foods or rather their components, which not only have favorable nutritional parameters, but also contain substances that have a targeted effect on human health.We are not talking about tablets, but about real food.For example, oil enriched with unsaturated fatty acids from microalgae, such as DHA or EPA, or day pastries with the addition of proteins from microalgae.With a few exceptions, microalgae are not among the traditional nutrition products in the European Union.Their use thus falls under the so-called food of a new type, which is subject to approval.Microalgae can be consumed not only by humans but also by animals.They are added to feed to improve the health of livestock, such as poultry or pigs.They have a positive effect on reproduction, so they are part of dog food.The carotenoids contained in them determine the color of the meat in salmonids and crustaceans or the color of the scales in ornamental and aquarium fish.The same is true for laying hens, the high carotene content "improves" the color of the egg yolks."At our workplace, we have proven their positive effect as pollen substitutes in beekeeping.In addition, chlorella supports the longevity of the winter generation of bees and acts against bee plague bacteria, "adds Ondřej Prášil.Protein feed for bees with the addition of microalgae for the pre-spring period protects the patent and many beekeepers already use this feed.According to the Algatech Algal Biotechnology Center, there may be up to a million species of algae today.(CC)The Algatech Center is currently working on the cross-border project Algae4Fish from the Interreg AT-CZ program, which is dedicated to the breeding of pikeperch.The solution is based on the natural food chain of pikeperch fry.Its natural food is zooplankton, ie microscopic aquatic animals, and they in turn feed on microalgae.The development of the fry can therefore be influenced by appropriately selected species of microalgae and zooplankton: to increase the number of surviving fish, to improve their health, to reduce the number of body deformities.Scientists are doing well in this regard.There is a relatively long way to go from the scientific result to the actual use in practice.However, the Algatech Center is not idle and is reaping from its "garden" not only chlorella, but also significant international success.For example, South Bohemian scientists are investigating the use of special algae that love extreme environments to extract rare earth elements from wastewater.They also focus on the use of waste materials, the acquisition of valuable substances for medicine or breeding and new methods of editing the microalgae genome.However, this does not end the list."The algal phytocomplex is in the phase of evaluation of biological activities, a specially obtained mixture of carotenoids from algae, which is of interest to producers from the Czech Republic and Italy.We have also been involved in research into vegetables to protect against fungal diseases and growth stimulants from algae, which are now being tested in Andalusia, Spain.We are working with a Danish company to breed microalgae suitable for bakery, ”Richard Lhotský calculates areas where these microscopic organisms can be used everywhere.We return to the gastronomic theme with an arch.Are you interested in edible algae?Take the advice of experts on the word taken (not just marketing), don't worry and give them a try.Dried algae can be added to salad dressings, vegetable soups, but also to unbaked cakes or other sweets.As the saying goes - there are no limits to imagination.Ondřej Prášil also believes in the beneficial effects - every morning he starts with a teaspoon of Třeboň algae chlorella mixed in a glass of water.Photo: Jana Plavec, External Relations Division of the SSČ AS CRVědavýzkum.cz with an overview