The growth of the worlds’ population continues apace, and with it the demand for food. Better pesticides could control against loss of crops, but food shortages are actually due to there being less and less agricultural and farm land. So food production remains insufficient. This is particularly true in the developing countries, where food supply is neither guaranteed nor sufficient.

Whole continents are going hungry, and it is with this in mind that we should discuss measures for a higher food production, to help improve this situation. The goal should be to develop highly-efficient production systems, which are environmentally-friendly at the same time.

The industrial production of microalgae fulfils both conditions having – in comparison to non-marine plants - a highly-efficient production rate, and needing less land, (land which, we will remember, is also unsuitable for regular farming). Added to this, marine microalgae do not consume valuable fresh water supplies.

Phytoplankton is now used as a dietary supplement by consumers in the Western world. Manufacturers of supplements produced on a plankton basis containing omega 3 fatty acids tell of sales figures which have gone through the roof in recent years. Antibacterial and antiviral substances can also be extracted from microalgae. Furthermore, our daily protein requirement can be satisfied by the consumption of foodstuffs based on dried microalgae.

Phytolutions is developing new, more efficient procedures for extracting and gathering of microalgae for the production of dietary supplements and foodstuffs.