Engineering algae to outperform existing products, with Nusqe Spanton from Provectus Algae - a podcast by FDB Editor

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry talks to Nusqe Spanton, CEO & founder of Provectus Algae, about commercialising one of the oldest microbes on planet Earth.

Following a quick review of Nusqe's background in aquaculture, the discussion moves on to the forming of Provectus Algae, the difficulty of growing oysters and the algae species they consume and how different algae species can often be found in specific microenvironments. This leads to the difficulties in growing algae varieties for use in various purposes and the restrictions of current technology to scale algae growth to meet industrial demands.

We then move on to how mankind has only identified about 20,000 species of algae from an estimated potential for over 5 million species in the wild, how algae convert light energy into chemical energy and our limited understanding of the different nuances involved in coaxing algae to grow at commercially viable scales. The discussion also covers the use of algae to produce ingredients for food and beverage production, how the most valuable algae are also the most fragile and the ability for algae production to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

We wrap up by reviewing Provectus' work to reach commercial production levels through manipulation of wavelengths of light, their integration with customer product lines and the commercial viability now available through this new technology. The final observation is on the algae's ability to deliver products for an ever expanding global population in an environmentally sustainable way

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The Food & Drink Business Podcast is produced by Southern Skies Media on behalf of Food & Drink Business, owned and published by Yaffa Media.

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MC: Grant McHerron

Host: Kim Berry

Editor: Chris Visscher

Producer: Steve Visscher

Food & Drink Business - © 2021