Chlorella
Chlorella is a single-celled green alga, mainly Chlorella vulgaris and strains sold as C. pyrenoidosa, grown in outdoor ponds or in closed fermentation tanks, either in light or fed sugar in the dark. After harvest the tough cell wall is usually broken by milling or pressure so the contents are digestible, then the biomass is spray dried. It is sold as a green powder and as pressed tablets.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Biomass mechanically cracked and spray dried, the standard supplement form. The cracking method and a digestibility figure are often on the spec.
Powder pressed into tablets, often without binders.
Biomass grown under an organic system and certified by lot.
Grown in the dark on sugar in closed tanks, which gives paler, yellow-green biomass with a different chlorophyll and protein profile from pond-grown material.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep powder and tablets sealed in foil-lined bags or drums, cool and dark, with little headspace, because chlorophyll and fats degrade with light, heat and oxygen. Reseal opened containers to keep out moisture. Shelf life or retest date follows the supplier's specification.
Chlorophyll, protein and pheophorbide vary by strain, growing method and drying, so compare each lot's COA with your specification. Record the species and whether the lot was pond-grown or fermented, and rotate stock first-expiry-first-out.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
Health Canada's Chlorella natural health product monograph lists Chlorella vulgaris with broken cell as the source part.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Chlorella vulgaris (POL-NF-00242) records a Czech authority conclusion that Chlorella vulgaris is not novel in food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)GRN 986, for Chlorella sorokiniana powder and micro powder from Chlorella Industry Co., Ltd., closed with FDA having no questions.
Source: hfpappexternal.fda.gov (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Distributor · Sacramento, CA
Starwest Botanicals is a Sacramento company that mills and sells bulk organic herbs, spices, teas and botanical powders by the pound and in 25 lb bags, with wholesale accounts for businesses.
Manufacturer · Eustis, FL
Florida producer of CO2-extracted botanical and algae ingredients, including natural astaxanthin, saw palmetto extract, and organic spirulina and chlorella.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include broken cell wall powder, tablets, organic and heterotrophic (fermented) chlorella. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect identity, protein and chlorophyll, pheophorbide, heavy metals, microbiology and moisture, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep powder and tablets sealed in foil-lined bags or drums, cool and dark, with little headspace, because chlorophyll and fats degrade with light, heat and oxygen. Reseal opened containers to keep out moisture. Shelf life or retest date follows the supplier's specification.
Health Canada's Chlorella natural health product monograph lists Chlorella vulgaris with broken cell as the source part. The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Chlorella vulgaris (POL-NF-00242) records a Czech authority conclusion that Chlorella vulgaris is not novel in food. GRN 986, for Chlorella sorokiniana powder and micro powder from Chlorella Industry Co., Ltd., closed with FDA having no questions.
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