Research
Macro partitioning
Australian native microalgae (Scenedesmus sp., Dunaliella sp., and CPC) provide high-quality protein with Essential Amino Acid Index (EAAI) scores indicating 'high' quality, surpassing the 'good' or 'useful' quality of commercial Chlorella and Spirulina products.
When choosing a microalgal protein supplement, look for Australian native species like Scenedesmus sp. or Dunaliella sp. They offer 'high' quality protein with better essential amino acid profiles than many commercial Spirulina or Chlorella products, which are rated 'good' or 'useful'.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Protein quality for human nutrition, according to EAAI scores, was ‘high’ for all four JCU/MBD microalgae... Commercial products contained protein of slightly lower quality: protein in Chlorella products was classified as ‘good’ quality protein, while Spirulina products contained ‘useful’ protein
Why this rating
Biochemical analysis of protein composition, not clinical trials on muscle gain or health outcomes.
Source
Nutritional Evaluation of Australian Microalgae as Potential Human Health Supplements
Megan Kent et al. · PLoS ONE · 2015
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0118985
mechanism_onlyCited 299×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Australian native microalgae (Scenedesmus sp., Nannochloropsis sp., Dunaliella sp., and a chlorophytic polyculture) offer superior or comparable nutritional profiles to commercial Spirulina and Chlorella supplements, specifically regarding high-quality protein, essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA, ALA, ARA), and antioxidant pigments.Moderate
- Nannochloropsis sp. is a superior source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) compared to commercial Spirulina and Chlorella, which lack detectable levels of these long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.Moderate
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