Earthrise gains GRAS for spirulina

Californian firm Earthrise Nutritionals can begin marketing the dried microalgae spirulina for use in foods, after gaining GRAS status for the ingredient.

Spirulina is a dried form of the common blue-green microalgae Arthrospira platensis​ and is cultivated in the United States by Hawaii-based Cyanotech and Earthrise. It is rich in fatty acids, vitamins, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, phycocyanin and vegetable protein.

The companies jointly submitted their GRAS determination in March this year and approval by the FDA means it can now be added to specialty food bars, powdered nutritional drink mixes, snacks such as popcorn, and as a condiment in salads and pasta.

Earthrise Nutritionals​ introduced spirulina to the US market in 1979. It is is grown under controlled conditions following FDA good manufacturing practices and under an ISO 9001 Quality Management System.

Cyanotech​ claims to be the world's largest commercial producer of natural astaxanthin from microalgae and markets the ingredient as both a human nutraceutical and for the aquaculture and animal feed industries.