Women's nutrition and the potential role of microalgae

Seven out of ten women say they want to improve their nutrition. The problem isn't knowledge or even willingness, it's time, mental bandwidth and a food system that makes consistently hitting nutritional targets genuinely difficult.

And for women, that target is moving all the time. Nutritional requirements shift across the monthly cycle, through pregnancy, perimenopause and beyond, meaning the standard one-size nutritional recommendation built largely on male data is, at best, a starting point. At worst, it's masking a persistent micronutrient gap that shows up as fatigue, brain fog, poor concentration or even just feeling cold, and gets dismissed as a lifestyle problem when it's actually a nutritional one.

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership with Arborea, three experts from the company make the case that microalgae could be a quiet but significant part of the answer. 

We learn about the biochemistry of why minerals such as iron and magnesium and vitamins such as D and B so critical for women specifically, why nutrition is not just what's on the label but what survives processing and can actually be absorbed by your cells, and why uniquely cultivated microalgae may be what it actually takes to get these micronutrients in a bioavailable form into foods that people want to eat.

The Arborea team bring the science to life and into the real world, explaining how their technology can be used to produce clean microalgae at scale.

Guests:

Karen Stetter, Senior Research and Development Programme Manager, Arborea

Ulliana Sampaio, Senior Product Development Scientist, Arborea

Estelle Alenxadre, Business Development team, Arborea

Arborea

Arborea uses its patented Biosolar Leaf™ technology to capture and convert carbon dioxide into controlled, highly nutritious, natural food ingredients. It uses sunlight for the industrial photosynthesis and extraction of microalgaeon barren, non-fertile land and thus with zero deforestation and no loss of biodiversity. 

The consistent micro-environment in this contained process ensures uniquely controlled taste and nutritional content. The process is easily scalable, without requiring expensive fermentation tanks, open ponds, internal photobioreactors, pressurised gases, and without risk of any cross-contamination from heavy metals or organic toxins.

Example products include :

• BioSolar Spirulina™ bioactive nutrient concentrates rich in iron, magnesium and vitamins but without the ‘fishy’ or ‘earthy’ aftertaste of traditional microalgae production methods
• NOvo Protein™, a white, neutral tasting, water-soluble, multi-functional ingredient nutritious protein suitable for any easily incorporated into any food product
• Pure Blue™ spirulina extract food colouring.

Find out more at arboreal.io