Why algae might be the food of the future — especially for vegans

This takes “green living” to a whole new level.

Researchers have found that microalgae — the gooey, green stuff that forms pond scum during the summer months — is good enough to eat.

Experts have known for years that certain types of algae are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Kelp, a seaweed, is just one example.

Among algae’s life-giving ingredients is taurine, recently lauded as “the elixir of life” by one food researcher. Nori, the seaweed used to wrap sushi rolls, is a good source of taurine.

But Alison Smith, professor of plant sciences at the University of Cambridge and a leader of the newly-released study, says that the tiny, protein-rich organisms found in freshwater lakes and oceans, or microalgae, may have been unjustly overlooked.

These microalgae are especially good for vegans, since many plant-based diets are lacking in essential nutrients — which algae can provide.

“Diets based purely on plant products are great on many levels but they have certain deficiencies, and one of the most important of these is their lack of the vitamin B12,” Smith told the Guardian.

“Many vegans would prefer not to have chemical supplements and they would like to get their B12 as a natural part of their diet,” Smith added. “You cannot get it from plants but we have found that certain algae are rich sources of the vitamin.”

A lack of vitamin B12 can cause a range of neurological, immune and inflammatory disorders, especially among pregnant women, according to a European Journal of Nutrition report.

In addition to B12, microalgae are good sources of essential amino acids, fatty acids like omega-3, omega-6 and omega-7, plus vitamins including A, D and E, according to the BBC.

Many health-conscious people now use supplements made from microalgae including Spirulina and Chlorella. Algae-based foods and supplements have been popular for centuries in Asia, home to about nine-tenths of commercial algae producers, according to a 2019 study.

And algae products are now gaining popularity here at home.

New Mexico-based Green Stream Farms — the second-largest outdoor algae farm in the world — cultivates algae for use in omega-3 nutrition products, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

In addition to human uses, Green Stream Farms’ algae is also used to provide healthier feed for livestock.

Though consuming algae might strike many people as odd, it isn’t the only potential source of food that leaves some diners green in the face.

Food scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia are adding insects such as maggots and locusts into a range of specialty foods, including sausage, as well as making sustainable insect-based livestock feed.

Last year, a senior Russian official suggested that residents of his country may need to develop a taste for meat alternatives such as fly larvae as the country wrestles with sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

“We need to overcome that mental block and then even a black soldier fly larva will be to your taste. You need to make an effort,” he added.

The slimy creatures known as mealworms can also be turned into grub. South Korean scientists have cooked mealworms, or beetle larvae, to create “meat” — and they claim it tastes authentic.

“Insects are a nutritious and healthy food source with high amounts of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and high-quality protein — which is like that of meat,” said Dr. Hee Cho, the project leader from Wonkwang University.