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Red hot! AlgaTech harnesses the power of nature's original food source
The prize for the coolest food production site, however, goes to Algatechnologies, which has developed a patented process for growing Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae in a labyrinthine network of glass tubes, which enables it precisely to control the process, eliminate contaminants and produce high purity, nutrient-packed astaxanthin in an ultra efficient way.
The algae - which starts out green - is fed CO2 and nutrients, but turns red (which means it's producing astaxanthin) as a stress response to the sunshine (AlgaTech is located in Eilat, the southern tip of Israel, in the middle of the desert).
It's then harvested and used primarily in the dietary supplements market, although AlgaTech has worked with some food and beverage brands interested in developing functional foods and beverages featuring astaxanthin, particularly on a skin health platform.
