Sustainable and packed with nutrients, microalgae is being hailed as a food of the future -- but with a bitter aftertaste, consumers aren't keen. That's why bio-designer Malu Lücking gave the microscopic organism a sleek makeover. <strong>Look through the gallery to learn more about the conceptual future food. </strong>
Sustainable and packed with nutrients, microalgae is being hailed as a food of the future -- but with a bitter aftertaste, consumers aren't keen. That's why bio-designer Malu Lücking gave the microscopic organism a sleek makeover. Look through the gallery to learn more about the conceptual future food.
Paul Cochrane
Exploring the varied and complex flavor profiles of three species of microalgae, Lücking cultivated them on edible agar gel inside 3D-printed resin casings, which protect the microalgae from bacteria.
Exploring the varied and complex flavor profiles of three species of microalgae, Lücking cultivated them on edible agar gel inside 3D-printed resin casings, which protect the microalgae from bacteria.
Paul Cochrane
Typically grown in salt water, seafood flavors are common in microalgae. Rhodomonas salina (pictured) is a red microalgae found in Essex, England, with an intense crab flavor and salty, umami notes.
Typically grown in salt water, seafood flavors are common in microalgae. Rhodomonas salina (pictured) is a red microalgae found in Essex, England, with an intense crab flavor and salty, umami notes.
Paul Cochrane
A green microalgae, tetraselmis chui is also found in England, and has a strong seafood taste, similar to mussels or prawns.
A green microalgae, tetraselmis chui is also found in England, and has a strong seafood taste, similar to mussels or prawns.
Paul Cochrane
But microalgae doesn't always taste of the sea: dunaliella salina, a green microalgae from France that produces orange pigments in the summer heat, has an unexpectedly sweet-and-spicy floral flavor.
But microalgae doesn't always taste of the sea: dunaliella salina, a green microalgae from France that produces orange pigments in the summer heat, has an unexpectedly sweet-and-spicy floral flavor.
Paul Cochrane
Rather than using the space-consuming tanks microalgae are typically grown in, Lücking developed a method to grow the microalgae using a concentrated solution on edible agar gel.
Rather than using the space-consuming tanks microalgae are typically grown in, Lücking developed a method to grow the microalgae using a concentrated solution on edible agar gel.
Nicolas Huebner
After two to four weeks, the algae can be "harvested" and consumed fresh. With very strong, concentrated flavors, it can be scraped off and eaten as a snack, or added to a dish with the salty agar jelly as a natural flavor enhancer.
After two to four weeks, the algae can be "harvested" and consumed fresh. With very strong, concentrated flavors, it can be scraped off and eaten as a snack, or added to a dish with the salty agar jelly as a natural flavor enhancer.
Nicolas Huebner
According to Lücking, the gel and resin casing allowed her to create a "visual identity" for the microscopic organisms: for example, the casing on the red, crab-flavored microalgae recreates the "shell" of a leg or claw, and the microalgae gel can be teased out, echoing the eating experience of real crab.
According to Lücking, the gel and resin casing allowed her to create a "visual identity" for the microscopic organisms: for example, the casing on the red, crab-flavored microalgae recreates the "shell" of a leg or claw, and the microalgae gel can be teased out, echoing the eating experience of real crab.
Malu Lücking
Similarly, the resin casing for the tetraselmis chui (pictured) mimics a mollusk shell, similar in shape to an oyster or mussel.
Similarly, the resin casing for the tetraselmis chui (pictured) mimics a mollusk shell, similar in shape to an oyster or mussel.
Nicolas Huebner
Microalgae grow naturally with salt water and sunlight. In the lab, the agar gel provides the water and nutrients, while a photobioreactor provides the right conditions for good growth, says Lücking.
Microalgae grow naturally with salt water and sunlight. In the lab, the agar gel provides the water and nutrients, while a photobioreactor provides the right conditions for good growth, says Lücking.
Marcello Orlando