Table 1.
| Nutrient Composition | Chlorella | Spirulina |
|---|---|---|
| Macronutrient (% dry weight) | ||
| Protein | 42–65.5 | 52–72 |
| Carbohydrate | 8.1–65 | 9–25 |
| Lipid/fat | 1.6–40 | 1–8 |
| Fiber | 1.6–6 | 2–18 |
| Minerals/Ash | 6.3–27.3 | 3–13 |
| Essential amino acids (mg/g protein) | ||
| Leucine | 40–95 | 56–84 |
| Phenylalanine | 20–96 | 29–48 |
| Lysine | 35–82 | 35–51 |
| Valine | 28–78 | 29–54 |
| Isoleucine | 1.0–44 | 1.2–41 |
| Threonine | 40–62 | 30–62 |
| Histidine | 10–35 | 6.0–28 |
| Methionine | 6.0–58 | 16–28 |
| Tryptophan | 1.0–24 | 10–20 |
| Other amino acids (mg/g protein) | ||
| Aspartic acid | 38–109 | 54–118 |
| Serine | 13–95 | 23–68 |
| Glutamic acid | 76–137 | 70–105 |
| Glycine | 60–105 | 39–78 |
| Alanine | 82–159 | 51–108 |
| Cysteine | 2.0–35 | 2.0–6.0 |
| Tyrosine | 13–84 | 30–48 |
| Arginine | 47–74 | 4.0–77 |
| Ornithine | 1.2–1.3 | nr |
| Proline | 27–85 | 20–41 |
| Fatty acids (FA) | ||
| Saturated | 25–33 1 | 45–56 1 |
| 63–66 2 | ||
| Unsaturated | 60–70 1 | 41–52 1 |
| 33.8–37.1 2 | ||
| PUFA | 36–65 1 | 30–42 1 |
| 23.1–24.5 2 | ||
| ω-3 | 0.1–0.22 | |
| Alpha-linolenic acid (essential FA) | 14–19.3 1 | nr |
| ω-6 | 23.1–24.5 2 | |
| Linoleic acid (essential FA) | 11–21 1 | 16–17 1 |
| Vitamins (mg/100 g) | ||
| B1 (Thiamine) | 1.5–2.4 | 3.5 |
| B2 (Riboflavin) | 4.8–6.0 | 3.2 |
| B3 (Niacin) | 23.8 | 12.1 |
| B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 1.3 | 0.4–25 |
| B6 (Pyridoxine) | 1.0–1.7 | 0.78 |
| B7 (Biotin) | 191.6 | 64 |
| B9 (Folic acid) | 0.61–26.9 | 0.033 |
| B12 (Cobalamin) | 0.1–125.9 | 0.012–0.24 |
| C (Ascorbic acid) | 15.6–100.0 | nr |
| E (Tocopherol) | 6.0–2787.0 | 2.8–75 |
| A (Retinol) | 13.2 | nr |
| K | 0.033 | 2 |
1 % of the total fatty acids; 2 % of the total lipids; nr—not referenced.