The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Oterra and Vaxa Technologies have developed a natural blue colour solution made from spirulina, named Arctic Blue, with an ‘impressively low’ carbon footprint.

The solution is the first to be developed as part of the partnership between Danish natural colours specialist Oterra and Iceland-headquartered food-tech Vaxa.

Vaxa’s production in Iceland is well-placed between the Europe and US markets, where spirulina is most used in food and drink products and where Oterra’s main manufacturing sites are located.

According to the companies, the spirulina made in Iceland using an innovative cultivation process will provide food and beverage producers with a vivid blue colour that is better for the environment than traditional spirulina solutions.

Data from Innova shows that the use of spirulina as a colour in food and beverage product development is gaining popularity, ahead of the Brilliant Blue/FD&C Blue 1 artificial colourant, as consumer demand for more natural food ingredients increases. The most common uses are in confectionery, bakery, desserts and ice cream.

Vaxa’s production facility in Iceland is next to a geothermal power plant that provides clean energy, waste heat and carbon dioxide to the company’s bioreactors, where the spirulina is grown 24 hours a day.

Vaxa said there is minimal loss of water from the closed system that uses only 1% of the water and land compared to traditional open pond systems. While processing, packaging and transportation add some CO2 emissions, Oterra’s initial analysis suggests that the method still has ‘up to 40 times lower’ CO2 emissions than the company’s conventional spirulina product.

The spirulina algae used in the system is the same as in open pond systems, but the production process has also been designed to solve traditional issues with conventionally grown spirulina while retaining its benefits.

Lotte Jeppesen, industry marketing manager for Oterra, explained: “Arctic Blue has a neutral odour, contrary to algae grown in open ponds. It is also easier to mix and dissolves faster, which makes it better for handling.”

“However, it keeps the common characteristics of spirulina such as the same vibrant blue shade and a high colour strength, while legislation and labeling are unchanged.”

Oterra said the use of Arctic Blue can help its customers reach Scope 3 targets by reducing their value chain emissions.

#Oterra #VaxaTechnologies #Iceland #naturalcolours