Pigment picking
How you get the red out of the green
Algae classification with decanters
Despite minor size differences and in particular minimum density differences, it is now possible for a special decanter to classify green algae. GEA has once more pushed out boundaries, and decanter technology has opened up new areas of application.
Partnership between our customers and GEA
In the past, algae harvest was associated primarily with separator technology; until recently, it was not possible for conventional decanters to be used in these applications. However, in the special case of astaxanthin production, it would not have been possible to separate algae cells of different sizes by using separators as a result of excessive g-forces. The breakthrough was achieved with a trial carried out at the Central Process Engineering (CPT) department of GEA using a specially designed decanter. In this trial, the processing know-how of a biotechnology company was successfully combined with the centrifugation know-how of GEA.
Asthaxantin makes salmon red and has anti-oxidant qualities
Natural astaxanthin is a very valuable pigment which is traded on the world market for a price of several thousand dollars per kilogram. The higher the astaxanthin content in the end product which is in powder form, the better the price. The anti-oxidative effect of astaxanthin is 1000 times higher than that of vitamin E, and the substance is used in the food industry as a food additive, for wellness products and food which promotes health, it is used for instance in products for strengthening eyesight. In the wild, the algae, or rather the pigment is responsible for the red color of crustacean and salmon.
Breakthrough achieved with the decanter
The biotechnology company had already tested numerous technologies in order to achieve the high astaxanthin figures with the separation of the flagellates; the breakthrough was achieved with trials at the GEA test center in Oelde. The still extremely low density difference as well as the small size difference still posed problems, and this is the reason why it was not possible for a standard decanter to be used. However, the classifying process was successful with a special improvement made to the method of operation of the test decanter.
Spectacular red
