Spirulina-containing chocolate bars, marketed as health food.

Other Spirulina
products are formulated for weight loss and as an aid for quitting drug
addiction. Cosmetics containing Spirulina extracts are also available on the
market. (Ding-Mei Li1; & Yu-Zao Qi2, 1997)
Spirulina as food Spirulina is rich in high quality protein, vitamins, minerals and
many biologically active substances (Becker, 1994a)
Its cell wall consists of polysaccharide which has a digestibility of 86%, and
could be easily absorbed by human body. The Wuhan Botanical Institute has
collaborated with the Changde Central School of Physical Training to study the
effect of oral intake of Spirulina pill on the physical status of athletes (Li, 1995)
After taking 10 g Spirulina pills per day for four weeks, female athletes showed
an increase in their haemochrome level, whereas the male athletes did not
show any apparent increase. The lung capacity of juvenile weight-lifting and
jujutsu athletes was improved. The Spirulina pill had no effect on blood
pressure.
Considering the nutritional and therapeutic function, the widespread
application of Spirulina as human food, animal feeds, and other high valuable
products (Belay 2002; Gershwin and Belay 2008)
Segun un estudio de mercado de microalgas en TAIWAN realizado por
PROCHILE, Asia es el continente predominante en la produccin de algas, dado
a que consumen la mayor parte de su produccin, adems Chile tiene su
espacio en el mercado internacional de algas. La produccin de algas alcanza
los 14 millones de toneladas anuales, con un uso predominante para la
alimentacin (75%).
Brasil tiene un tamao de mercado de 198.000.000 habitantes que tienen una
mayor aceptacin por el consumo de microalgas (espirulina),

Bibliografa:
Journal of Applied Phycology 9: 2528, 1997. 25 c 1997 Kluwer Academic
Publishers. Printed in Belgium. Spirulina industry in China: Present status and
future prospects Ding-Mei Li1; & Yu-Zao Qi2
Becker EW (1994a) In: Chapter 13: Nutrition. Microalgae. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge. 196249
Li DM (1995) In: Spirulina Chapter 4: Spirulina as a health food. Chinese
Agrotechnology Publisher, Beijing. 2128. (In Chinese)

Belay A (2002) The potential application of Spirulina (Arthrospira) as a

nutritional and therapeutic supplement in health management. The J Am
Nutraceut Assoc 5(2):2649
Gershwin ME, Belay A (eds) (2008) Spirulina in human nutrition and health.
CRC, Boca Raton
Oficina de comercial de Chile en Paris- ProChile, Estudio de mercado algas en
Francia PMP 2014