The History of Chlorella

In 1967, NASA listed chlorella as a space food

Many chlorella products seen on the market are labeled "German certification" or "German patent" because of Germany's flawless chlorella research. During World War I, people started to research chlorella cultivation in order to solve food shortage problems. chlorella was cultivated in large amounts in Germany to be used as a protein source. In the 1920s, Japan succeeded in cultivating a pure culture of chlorella, and after World War II, the United States, Germany, and Japan conducted cooperative studies. The medicinal effects of chlorella were already confirmed after World War II, and the presence of a growth promoting factor that accelerates animal growth through the ingestion of chlorella was revealed. In 1949, the Carnegie Research Institute commissioned Professor Hiroshi Tamiya from the University of Tokyo to set up the Japan chlorella Research Institute to study the methods of cultivating large quantities of chlorella. And in 1959, a green chlorella cultivation pond was established. Then in 1967, NASA listed chlorella as a space food because it supplies nutrients, even though in small amounts. In the 1970s, chlorella was a huge hit in Japan. Since 1961, many green chlorella-related studies have been published in Japan, until now, the number of papers has exceeded over 200. But the boom ended once because of photosensitivity incidents caused by chlorella. Later on, the technology of complete cell wall pulverization was developed, and chlorella's anticancer effect was discovered. As a result, chlorella is again attracting attention at present.