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Super Blue Green Algae - Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (abbreviated Aph. flos-aquae) from Upper Klamath Lake - is a species of cyanobacteria and, as such, exhibits a unique blend of some properties of plants, animals, and bacteria. Cyanobacteria are among the most ancient of all living organisms and have provided oxygen to the Earth’s atmosphere and nutrients to marine life for over 3.5 billion years.
The Upper Klamath Lake species of Aphanizomenon has been shown to be both genetically and morphologically distinct from other species of Aphanizomenon, and for many years has been identified as a nutrient-rich human food supplement which is absolutely non-toxic.
Over the past 20 plus years, millions of people have consumed Super Blue Green Algae products from Upper Klamath Lake and have experienced a wide variety of positive results. A review of the current health research on microalgae (Bruno, 2001) reveals an increased level of interest in, as well as scientific validation of, the health benefits of adding algae-based food supplements to one’s diet.
Is Upper Klamath Lake polluted?
No, Upper Klamath Lake is not polluted in the traditional sense of the word. Upper Klamath Lake is an extraordinary natural environment. However, because the amount of plant matter in the lake is above the limit established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency has listed the lake as “water quality impaired”. The lake is out of compliance with cool-water lake criteria for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and chlorophyll-A (Monda and Saiki, 1993). These parameters are closely tied to the lake’s tremendous productivity and are indicative of nutrient-rich conditions that are responsible for the growth of this unique species of the cool-water algae, Aph. flos-aquae (Gearheart et al., 1995; Bortleson and Fretwell, 1993; Kann and Smith, 1993; Miller and Tash, 1967).
Repeated testing has revealed no toxic pollutants such as heavy metals or pesticides in Upper Klamath Lake water or in the lake bed. As partial evidence of this freedom from contamination, it is noteworthy that the bald eagle, which was brought to the edge of extinction by DDT and other pollutants, has made a significant comeback due in part to the clean environment provided by Upper Klamath Lake and its surroundings. The Klamath Basin remains the largest stopover area for bald eagles in the lower 48 states, and people from all over the world come to Klamath Falls each year to attend the National Bald Eagle Conference and visit one of the world’s largest wintering sites of these magnificent birds.
Simplexity Health has dedicated substantial funding and expertise to lake water quality monitoring, to research on endangered fish, and to several wetland restoration projects. In a proactive effort to promote recovery of Upper Klamath Lake’s endangered fish species and to take overall lake water quality to an ever higher level, Simplexity Health has joined with governmental and private parties as well as the non-profit Nature Conservancy in a large-scale Upper Klamath Lake wetland restoration project.
The largest fresh-water body in Oregon, Upper Klamath Lake covers an area of approximately 125 square miles. A comparatively shallow lake, it is one of the few high-altitude lakes in the world classified as naturally eutrophic (Gearheart et al., 1995). During the last 35 or so years, the word “eutrophic” has been largely misunderstood. A eutrophic lake is one having concentrations of nutrients that are optimal for high levels of plant growth. This can be the normal state of a lake, as is the case for Upper Klamath Lake (Goldman and Horne, 1983). This situation may also be produced in almost any body of water by the addition of agricultural runoff or sewage. This is not the case in Upper Klamath Lake.
A recent survey of the perimeter of the lake and the adjoining watershed has revealed that there are virtually no agricultural chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides) used in this area. Cattle graze on a small percentage of the surrounding acreage and are the predominant animal species that could potentially contribute to nutrient runoff into the lake. These cattle are, however, free range and deposit their manure on the fields in which they graze. Nature slowly returns these nutrients to nourish the fields in which they are deposited. In addition, no sewage of human origin flows into the lake.
In summary, Upper Klamath Lake is a very productive, naturally eutrophic lake that sustains high levels of available nutrients and plant life due to the natural influx of balanced nutrients (Gearheart et al., 1995). The continuous supply of an almost perfect balance of dissolved nutrients from the springs feeding the lake and from the ancient seabed results in an enormous annual biomass production - primarily made up of algal blooms, with Aph. flos-aquae being the dominant species (Kann, 1997). It has been conservatively estimated that the lake produces the equivalent of over 50 million dry pounds of Aph. flos-aquae annually. This complex and unusually vital ecosystem supports thriving populations of insect, fish, and waterfowl species, clearly evident to anyone visiting the area.
The Life Cycle of Upper Klamath Lake
The Klamath Basin receives 90% of its water from mineral-rich springs derived from the Cascade Mountain snow melt and from six tributaries that flow through an ancient seabed (Gearheart et al., 1995). This combination of minerals from volcanic ash and seabed sediment acts as a complete hydroponic fertilizer for all aquatic plant life found in Upper Klamath Lake. The algae come to life when the dormant algal cells are released from the frozen lake by the late spring sun. As the water warms, the algae multiplies, and by midsummer large concentrations, or “blooms”, of Aph. flos-aquae can be found throughout the lake (Kann and Smith, 1993).
The rapidly growing algae consume nutrients in the water and utilize energy from the sun for photosynthesis. Oxygen in large quantities is released into the water and subsequently into the air. Each night when photosynthesis stops, oxygen is consumed from the lake water as the algae enter the non-photosynthetic respiratory phase, releasing carbon dioxide into the water.
Because of the huge number of colonies of Aph. flos-aquae in the lake at the height of algae growth in midsummer, the lake is saturated with oxygen during the day. During the night, the algae use the oxygen in the water, significantly lowering the oxygen concentration (Monda and Saiki, 1993). Fish are dependent on the oxygen in the lake and may be negatively affected as oxygen levels decline (Logan and Markle, 1993; Piper et al., 1982). Fortunately, the fish tend to cluster where the streams flow into the lake, and they find adequate oxygen to support them during this brief time of stress.
Occasionally during warm summer nights when algae growth has been rapid, the colonies become overcrowded, and there may not be enough oxygen to support the metabolism of the masses of algae. In this situation, algae colonies may begin to die. When this happens, bacteria begin to feed on the dead cells, liberating carbon dioxide into the water at even greater levels than did the algae. This natural cyclic process has been safely taking place in Upper Klamath Lake for hundreds of years.
Klamath Basin biologists have expressed support for Simplexity Health’s efforts to restore natural conditions through purchases of large areas of agricultural land, returning them to natural wetland, and fostering appropriate land management practices in the watershed.
The water in Upper Klamath Lake is not static; the flow of water into the lake each year is equal to between four and six times the total volume of the lake. In this way, the lake is continuously purged of suspended decaying algae and other detritus, providing fresh mineral-rich water for each new growing season.
Upper Klamath Lake is an ecological miracle. The previously mentioned wetlands restoration projects have proven to be very successful, and a visit to the lake readily reveals how extraordinarily healthy this environment is.
Quality Control and Assurance
Super Blue Green Algae is a nutrient-rich food for humans and animals, and is a source of a wide range of micronutrients (Bruno, 2001). One of the important qualities Aph. flos-aquae shares with bacteria is its fragile cell wall. Vegetables and fruits have cell walls made of cellulose, which humans cannot digest and which we must therefore break down either by chewing or by cooking in order to facilitate absorption of the nutrients locked within the cell. In contrast, Aph. flos-aquae cell walls lack cellulose, require no chewing, and place few demands on the digestive system. The simple glycogen-like cell wall of the algae is easy to break down and the cells’ nutrient-rich contents are therefore almost immediately available for absorption in the digestive tract. Because it is so fragile when removed from the lake, Aph. flos-aquae is subject to more rapid decomposition than land-grown foods with their tough cell walls and protective coverings. For this reason, fastidious attention must be paid to the harvesting process, and extensive testing must be done regularly to monitor freshness and quality.
To ensure freshness, Simplexity Health’s harvesting process includes cooling the Aph. flos-aquae to less than 40°F within just a few minutes of extraction from the water. This rapid cooling preserves the composition of the algae’s chlorophyll and enzymes, and slows its metabolism to a level that prevents degradation of important and sensitive nutrients, including some amino acids, fatty acids, and nucleic acids. The cooled Aph. flos-aquae is then carefully cleaned, frozen at -40°F, and stored at -10°F. Tests indicate that when Aph. flos-aquae has been harvested, cleaned, cooled, and frozen in this manner almost all of the nutritive value is preserved.
Simplexity Health adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices, which are rigorously maintained by extraordinary attention to cleanliness. Before drying, random samples are taken from each daily batch for testing in order to ensure uniform quality. Three external independent laboratories regularly test Simplexity Health’s Aph. flos-aquae using these samples. Aph. flos-aquae is classified as a food or food supplement, and testing for possible contaminants parallels or exceeds standard testing methods used for other food products. The algae is routinely tested for the presence of heavy metals, pesticides, pathogenic bacteria, molds, yeasts, toxins, and other undesirable nontoxic natural materials (An and Carmichael, 1994; Takai and Mieskes, 1991; Matsunaga et al.; Oshima et al., 1989; Health Canada).
Simplexity Health also performs an analysis of chlorophyll in its Aph. flos-aquae using high-pressure liquid chromatography to discover any possible by-products of decomposition. The quality of the chlorophyll in Simplexity Health’s supplements exceeds by five times the accepted norm (Japanese regulations). Simplexity Health is very rigorous in testing for these by-products, as excessive levels of degraded chlorophyll can produce unwanted biological effects.
There have never been any toxins found in Aph. flos-aquae from Upper Klamath Lake. Morphological and gene sequencing analyses were performed on six strains of Aphanizomenon, and on a toxic strain, NH-5, which does not occur in Klamath Lake (Rapala et al., 1993; Skulberg et al., 1984; Gentile and Mahoney, 1969; Sawyer et al., 1968). The results of these analyses show a marked morphological and genetic difference between the toxic species and the Upper Klamath Lake species (Li et al., 2000).
As with other foods, including fish, mushrooms, and plants, some species are known to be toxic. There is always the possibility that different species of algae may be growing in a nutrient-rich natural environment such as Upper Klamath Lake. The strictest and most sensitive tests are performed to ensure the level of purity of Simplexity Health’s Aph. flos-aquae with respect to any possible contamination from other species (Gorham, 1964). The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set the guidelines for these tests, and the tests themselves are performed and certified by independent laboratories to corroborate the results of Simplexity Health’s own in-house testing.
What about Microcystis?
Toxic species from the genus Microcystis are sometimes found growing in Upper Klamath Lake. Simplexity Health monitors the algal blooms continuously before harvesting to test for the presence of this or other potentially toxic species. If and when there is danger of Microcystis contamination, Simplexity Health does not harvest.
The rigorous in-house and independent laboratory testing for microcystin (the toxin produced by Microcystis) and other possible contaminants further ensures the quality and safety of Simplexity Health’s products (Carmichael and Gorham,1980; Gorham, 1964). All of the tests are of the highest scientific standard, allowing Simplexity Health to confidently state that its products are safe (An and Carmichael, 1994; modified AOAC 959.08; JFHA, 1991).
Additionally, in the many years Simplexity Health has been operating, the Food Safety Division of the Oregon Department of Agriculture (which is responsible for licensing the production and ensuring the safety of food products produced in Oregon) has never given the company as much as a letter or note of concern that it might be out of compliance with the state’s stringent regulations. Simplexity Health is proud of this record, and is very proud to offer these excellent products to its customers.
References
An, J.S. and W.W. Carmichael. 1994. Use of a colorimetric protein phosphatase inhibition assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the study of microcystins and nodularins. Toxicon. Vol. 32 (12); pp. 1495-1507.
Bortleson, G.C., and M.O. Fretwell. 1993. A review of possible causes of nutrient enrichment and decline of endangered sucker populations in the Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. U.S.G.S. Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4087.
Bruno, J. 2001. Edible Microalgae: A Review of the Health Research (Version 3.0). Pacifica, CA: Center for Nutritional Psychology Press.
Carmichael, W.W., and P.R. Gorham. 1980. Freshwater cyanophyte toxins. Algae Biomass. New York: Elsevier; pp. 437-448.
Gearheart, R.A., J.K. Anderson, M.G. Forbes, M. Osburn, and D. Oros. 1995. Watershed strategies for improving water quality in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. 3 vols. Humboldt State University, Environmental Resources Engineering Department.
Gentile, J.H., and T.E. Mahoney. 1969. Toxicity and environmental requirements of a strain of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) ralfs. Can. J. Microbiol. Vol 15 (2,); pp. 165-173.
Goldman, C.R., and A.J. Horne. 1983. Limnology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Gorham, P.R. 1964. Toxic algae. In Algae and Man. New York: Plenum Press; pp. 306-307.
Health Canada, Health Protection Branch, 1994.
Kann, J. 1997. Ecology and water quality dynamics of a shallow hypereutrophic lake dominated by cyanobacteria. Ph.D. dissertation. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
Kann, J., and V.H. Smith. 1993. Chlorophyll as a predictor of elevated pH in a hypertrophic lake: Estimating the probability of exceeding critical values for fish success. Klamath Tribes Research Report. KT-93-02. The Klamath Tribes, Chiloquin, Oregon.
Li, R., W.W. Carmichael, Y. Liu, and M.M. Watanabe. 2000. Taxonomic re-evaluation of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae NH-5 based on morphology and 16S rRNA gene sequences. Hydrobiologia.. Vol. 438 (Nov); pp. 99-105.
Logan, D.J., and D.F. Markle. 1993. Fish faunal survey of Agency Lake and northern Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. In S.G. Campbell, ed. Environmental Research in the Klamath Basin, Oregon - 1992 Annual Report.
Matsunaga, S., R.E. Moore, W.P. Niernezura, and W.W. Carmichael. 1989. Anatoxin-a(s) a potent anticholinesterase from Anabaena flos-aquae. J. Am. Chem Soc. Vol. 111; pp. 8021-8023.
Miller, W.F., and J.C. Tash. 1967. Interim report: Upper Klamath Lake Studies, Oregon, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration.
Monda, D.P., and M.K. Saiki. 1993. Tolerance of juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers to high pH, ammonia concentration, and temperature, and to low dissolved oxygen concentration. In S.G. Campbell,ed.Environmental Research in the Klamath Basin, Oregon - 1992 Annual Report.
Oshima, Y., K. Sugino, and T. Yasumoto. 1989. Latest advances in HPLC analysis of paralytic shellfish toxins. In Natoris, S., Hashimoto, K., and Ueno, T., eds. Mycotoxins and phycotoxins. New York: Elsevier; pp. 319-326.
Piper, R.G., I.B. McElwain, L.E. Orme, J.P. McCraren, L.G. Fowler, and J.R. Leonard. 1982. Fish Hatchery Management. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.
Rapala, J., K. Sivonen, R. Luukkainen, and S.I. Niemela. 1993. Anatoxin-a concentration in Anabaena and Aphanizomenon under different environmental conditions and comparison of growth by toxic and non-toxic Anabaena strains, a laboratory study. J. Applied Phycol. Vol. 5; pp. 581-591.
Sawyer, P.J., J.H. Gentile, and J.J. Sasner. 1968. Demonstration of a toxin from Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs, Can. J. Microbiol. Vol. 14; pp. 1199-1204.
Skulberg, O.L., G.A. Codd, and W.W. Carmichael. 1984. Toxic blue-green algal blooms in Europe: a growing problem. Ambio. Vol. 13(4); pp. 244-247.
Takai, A., and G. Mieskes. (1991). Inhibitory effect of okadaic acid on the P-nitrophenyl phosphate phosphatase activity of protein phosphatases. Biochem. J. Vol. 275; pp.233-239.
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