How to dry AquaSource’s AFA algae?
The wild Klamath blue-green seaweed AFA (Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae, AFA) of AquaSors is the most useful and balanced “green food“. They are mined in the ecologically clean and protected area of Upper Klamath Lake in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, USA. From there, they are carefully collected and sent to the American company LiquaDry for drying alive and fresh, without freezing.
LiquaDry
is a company that dries organic products at a low temperature by sputtering. In addition to seaweed, it produces other powdered foods and natural powdered juices that allow the use of fresh plant substances in a more convenient form – capsules, tablets, shakes, bars, etc.
Drying Technology BioActive Dehydration
The LiquaDry company has developed the special patented delicate technology BioActive Dehydration ( BioActive Dehydration ), which dries to powder almost any biomass practically without disturbing the color, taste, aroma, enzymes, etc. , thus preserving all the valuable qualities of the products.
The patented Oxy-Guard system prevents oxidation during the delicate stages of drying using an inert gas. The result of this careful processing is products that have no equal in benefit.
In conventional drying techniques, the main causes of destruction of natural ingredients are high temperatures, heating time, deep vacuum and contact with oxygen (the oxidation process). BioActive Dehydration solves all these problems, with this technology the drying temperature never exceeds 40.5°C and the normal human body temperature (36.6°C) is exceeded in less than 2 minutes. All drying takes place at pressures close to or identical to atmospheric pressure.
Preservation of nutritional properties
In drying, heat and duration of heating are the most critical factors affecting the retention of nutritional value. Many ingredients of natural raw materials are more easily damaged in high humidity than when the product is dried. The BioActive Dehydration process is tailored to this feature and while the product is wetter the drying temperature is lower.
The dried algal biomass thus produced contains a full range of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, and is very rich in protein, chlorophyll and beta-carotene. It is much closer to fresh seaweed than that obtained by all other drying methods – including a higher degree of enzyme, volatile oil and lipid preservation (fresh taste and aroma), contains more chlorophyll and less chlorophyll breakdown products (pheophytin).
LiquaDry has emerged as one of the world’s major producers, with the quality they offer making them the fastest growing and second largest supplier of cereal juice powder in Japan. The microalgae AFAs that LiquaDry produces account for over 80% of the quantities sold worldwide, e.g. in the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, etc.
Top quality guarantees
LiquaDry prides itself on research and quality control of its products. Dailyanalyses of all batches are carried out at different stages of the process: raw material growth, processing, packaging. Samples are analyzed for purity, toxins, impurities, microorganisms and nutritional value. The most effective method of quality control is to monitor marker food components such as molecules or protein structures that are unstable and sensitive to heat, oxidation, enzymatic degradation, etc.
Here are some of the parameters being analysed:
- Microorganisms
- Enzyme activity – superoxide dismutase, alpha-mannosidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, etc.
- Chlorophyll
- Chlorophyll degradation products – pheophytin and pheophorbide
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Degree of lipid and volatile fatty acid retention
- Microcystin
- Humidity
- pH
LiquaDry compares data from analyses before, during and after processing to make its technology even more environmentally friendly. In addition, the impact of packaging on the freshness and shelf-life of finished products is also being investigated.
LiquaDry invests heavily in its research activities. Although complex as a technology, the purpose of this activity is simple: to produce products that are durable, stable in storage, harmless and with nutritional qualities as close as possible to fresh sources. For example, the powdered fruit juices produced by this company are almost identical in taste, aroma and nutritional value to the freshly squeezed ones.