Contact
Þóra Valsdóttir
Project Manager
thora.valsdottir@matis.is
The aim of the project is to develop micronutrient supplements from spirulina (Spirulina plantensis). At the end of the project, the goal is that the developed supplements are safe, have high level of active B12 vitamin, collect data to sustain health claims on those, have demonstrated positive user experience and be ready for production and marketing. In the product development, emphasis will be placed on, among other things, sensory evaluation, microbial and chemical measurements.
User tests will be carried out with the aim of obtaining consumers' experience and opinions of the product. In addition, the effect of the dietary supplement on iron levels and blood counts will be investigated and compared with comparable supplements on the market. With certain cultivation conditions and processing of spirulina, VAXA Technologies has developed a product under the name Icelandic Ultra Spirulina (IUS). IUS contains, among other things, essential amino acids, bioavailable iron, active vitamin B12, vitamin K1 and β-carotene. The amount of active vitamin B12 in IUS is high enough that it is sufficient to take 0.03 g of IUS daily to meet the criteria for the nutrition claim, i.e., provides more than 20% of the recommended daily intake of active B12 vitamin. VAXA Technologies utilizes carbon dioxide, electricity, and hot and cold wastewater streams from the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant to cultivate spirulina. VAXA's spirulina production is therefore not only environmentally friendly, it has a negative carbon footprint.