How to identify a “good” Spirulina ?
Biorigin: ensuring quality throughout every stage of production
Our Spirulina is grown in pools of alkaline water and nourished with minerals. The quality of the water, air, and nutrients play an important role in determining what the finished product will be. Indeed, the components found in impure water, polluted air, or low-quality nutrients will ultimately end up in the product.
The right drying and packaging methods are also crucial. Most producers use the “spray-dry” system to dry their Spirulina. This process involves breaking up and liquefying Spirulina cells in order to produce a slurry that can then be pulverised in a conical chamber using a very hot air current (>190°C). This process can harm the product’s nutritional qualities in two ways: liquefying the powdered Spirulina breaks open the cellular membrane and exposes the product’s content to accelerated oxidation, which breaks down the active ingredients. Moreover, drying at high temperatures exacerbates the breakdown of active ingredients.
BIORIGIN Spirulina is produced in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador, in a setting with ideal air and water quality.
The Biorigin production process, which involves drying on a low-temperature bed, guarantees that the Spirulina is neither atomised nor dried at extreme temperatures. All the product’s natural qualities are thus preserved.
How to identify a high-quality product
1. Information about the product’s ingredients
The Spirulina should be 100% natural and contain no additives, preservatives, or artificial colours.
A low-grade Spirulina often contains compression agents (caking agents) or fluidity agents (lubricants).
2. Visual appearance
The Spirulina should exhibit a pleasant, dark blue-green colour that is not shiny.
A shiny colour indicates that the Spirulina has been crushed, compacted, and then covered with a layer of caking agent to prevent it from crumbling again.
The package should not be very dusty. The presence of dust also indicates that the Spirulina has been atomised and then compacted, thus losing some of its nutritional qualities.
3. Smell
The Spirulina definitely has a particular smell, but it should not be unpleasant.
If the smell is too strong, this actually indicates a high rate of oxidation and that the product has deteriorated.
4. Dissolution
The Spirulina’s rate of dissolution should be:
- neither too fast because this will prevent the product from entering the stomach and releasing its active ingredients within the intestines, where they can be absorbed by the body
- nor too slow because this means that the product will not be sufficiently absorbed as it travels through the digestive system.
The following photos compare the dissolution times of BIORIGIN Spirulina and a standard “spray-dried” product. The dissolution experiment was conducted in an acidic environment similar to the conditions found in the human digestive system.
Whereas BIORIGIN Spirulina’s dissolution time is ideal, the standard product took too long to dissolve. A lower quantity of the nutrients contained in the standard product will thus be absorbed by our bodies.
| 1 hour | 2 hours | 3 hours | 5 hours | 24 hours | |
| spray-driedSpirulina |
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| BioriginSpirulina |
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5. Digestion
During the first few days, Spirulina may, in rare instances, cause a slight amount of gas. This is why we recommend that you increase the dosage gradually. More significant amounts of gas in contrast, generally indicate a low-grade or deteriorated product.