What is Euglena?

What is Euglena?

What are Euglena microalgae?

Our companion, Euglena.

Our company, Euglena Co., Ltd., upholds the philosophy of “Sustainability First.” We are making progress with research each day in our hope to change the future, which is full of many uncertainties, into something brighter through the power of Euglena microalgae.

On the ancient earth about 500 million years ago
I was born!
Inhales carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen,
Grow by photosynthesis
It is a member of kelp and wakame seaweed.
Inhabits fresh water.
Some friends who live in seawater
Green is chloroplast
(Chlorophyll) color
The size is 0.05mm ~ 0.1mm in length.
The width is 0.01 mm
Use flagella and at your own will
You can move,
Has both plant and animal properties
High photosynthetic capacity, in the atmosphere
Even in an environment with a CO2 concentration of about 1000 times
Foster vigorously
多くの大学、研究機関で
食料・栄養・温暖化問題の
解決策として研究されています

Euglena is nutritious

Euglena, which has properties of both plants and animals, actually contains 59 varieties of nutrients that include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and unsaturated fatty acids. It also contains an excellent balance of all nine types of essential amino acids for adults. We are not exaggerating when we say that Euglena contains most of the nutrients that humans need to live.

59 nutrients work in a team

Nutrients contained in 1 billion Euglena (about 1000 mg) on Ishigaki Island
There are so many other ingredients!

Dietary fiber, zinc, iron, niacin, β-carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin K

The presence of cell walls

Euglena, which has the characteristics of both plants and animals, boasts a high digestibility of 93.1% because it does not have a cell wall that interferes with absorption.

Vegetables: Vegetables have a hard cell wall and are difficult to absorb nutrients / Euglena: Since there is no cell wall that interferes with Kyushu, it is easy to digest and absorb nutrients (digestion rate 93.1%).
Paramylon

Paramylon: Image by Professor Shinichi Fukuoka of Aoyama Gakuin University
Image by Professor Shinichi Fukuoka of Aoyama Gakuin University

Euglena contains a large amount of paramylon, which is a special substance not found in any other living organism. This is a type of β-glucan often found in mushrooms and similar organisms.
Paramylon, which is a dietary fiber, is a noteworthy substance that is expected to have health applications and is being researched by many scientists and experts.

Euglena Co., Ltd.’s ideas about health

At Euglena Co., Ltd., we have focused on not one but a number of complex factors as the cause of health concerns in modern humans. In particular, insufficient nutrition, fatigue, and lowered immunity influence each other, and this leads to a chain-reaction in deteriorating physical health as shown in the diagram below.

Insufficient nutrition, fatigue, and lowered immunity influence each other

持続的な健康を目指すためには、部分的な対症療法ではなく、「栄養不足」「疲労」「免疫力低下」のすべてにアプローチすることが重要です。石垣島ユーグレナは、現代人が抱えるこれら全ての健康不安に立ち向かうべく、日々研究に取り組んでいます。

Our
Euglena is sustainable

Reduction of environmental load by photosynthesis

Euglena grows and proliferates by photosynthesis. Performing photosynthesis means immobilizing carbon dioxide on carbohydrates to produce oxygen. Euglena is very superior in this production efficiency compared to other plants.

This high carbon dioxide fixing capacity is expected to be very promising for global warming countermeasures.
Euglena was the first in the world to succeed in edible outdoor mass culture of Euglena. Euglena and others are photosynthesizing in the Our culture pool today.

Obtained ASC-MSC seaweed (algae) certification for the first time in the world

Our acquired "ASC-MSC seaweed (algae) certification" for the first time in the world.
ASC certification is an international certification system for marine products produced by responsible aquaculture methods that are environmentally and socially friendly, and MSC certification is an international certification for marine products caught in sustainable and environmentally friendly fisheries. It's a system.

Our, grown in the beautiful nature of Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, is a sustainable ingredient.

Contributing to solving nutritional problems in Bangladeshi children

In Bangladesh, half of children under the age of 5 are anemic, and vitamins A, B12, iron, zinc, etc. tend to be deficient, and 36% of children under the age of 5 or about 5.5 million are stunted. I have fallen into. Euglena aims to solve the nutritional problems of Bangladeshi children, and delivers nutritious Euglena cookies to Bangladeshi children as part of the sales from customers.

すでに配布数は累計1,500万食を突破。今後も多くのお客さまからの支援により活動規模を拡大してまいります。

Contributes to regional development

Our is also useful for regional development.
In the "Euglena Ishigaki Nuchigusui Project", we are developing menus and foods using Ishigaki Island Euglena as a special product of the island so as to contribute to the further regional development of Okinawa with Ishigaki Island as the source.
In Akita Prefecture, we are contributing to industrial promotion by using the new material "Midori Jiuqu" developed by Akita Konno Shoten and Euglena Co., Ltd. "Midori Jiuqu", which is produced by mixing steamed domestic rice with seed koji and euglena, will contribute to regional revitalization as a new raw material that leads to the charm of "Akita, the country of beauty" known for its fermentation culture. ..

Euglena Trivia Knowledge Single-celled organism Euglena is also diverse

Euglena grows Euglena Gracilis on Ishigaki Island. Euglena, a unicellular organism, proliferates by repeating division, that is, the number of individuals with the same cell increases steadily, so at first glance it seems that "every Euglena is the same", but in fact, each Euglena has its own individuality. It will introduce a part of.

Gracilis
It is often used mainly in supplements and foods. It is characterized by containing a large amount of paramylon, which is a type of dietary fiber.
Mutabilis
It has a very slender body among Euglena, and is characterized by its high ability to adapt to the environment.
San Guinea
Since it contains astaxanthin, which is a kind of carotenoid like lycopene, which is a red component of tomato, it turns bright red depending on the conditions.
Agilis
Agilis most closely related to Gracilis. However, their properties are completely different, such as their small size and their inability to grow in acidic environments.

Further Possibilities of Euglena

The possibilities of Euglena are endless! It is used not only for foods, but also for fuels and feeds, as well as fertilizers and biomass plastics that use euglena residues. The future, which will be an integral part of our lives, is just around the corner.

Foods and supplements
Euglena has a well-balanced total of 59 types of nutrients, including 13 types of vitamins, 9 types of minerals, 19 types of amino acids, 12 types of unsaturated fatty acids such as DHA and EPA, and paramylon, which is a type of dietary fiber. It contains. However, Euglena was difficult to cultivate because it is located at the bottom of the food chain and is quickly preyed on by other organisms. Nevertheless, in 2005, Euglena finally succeeded in mass culturing, and now it has become a supporter of our health.
Biofuel business
ミドリムシは培養方法によって、体内により多くの油を作ることができます。この油を抽出・精製することで、バスや飛行機などに利用可能なバイオ燃料をつくりだすことができ、すでに日本各地でミドリムシを原料の一部にしたバイオディーゼル燃料を使ったバスや乗用車が公道走行しています。 ミドリムシは培養時に農地を必要としないため農作物や土地との競合性が低く、かつ、光合成で成長するので化石燃料を消費して排出されるCO2を吸収して育ち、炭素循環型社会を構築することができるのです。
Animal feed
We manufacture feed using Euglena, which contains 59 kinds of abundant nutrients. Studies have shown that the use of this feed improves taste and quality. In addition, by utilizing Euglena, the protein sources used in feed can be diversified, and Euglena, which does not compete with food, is also effective as a sustainable raw material.
The umami of the food you usually eat also has the power of Euglena.
Potting soil / fertilizer
Organic liquid fertilizers and potting compost that utilize the residue of Euglena from the biofuel manufacturing process, and organic chemical fertilizers that contain not only the residue but also Euglena are being developed.
It has been suggested that the use of Euglena may suppress the increase in yield and the decrease in crop freshness after harvesting, and research on further utilization and pursuit of functions in the agricultural field is being promoted in the future.
Biomass plastics
In addition to fertilizers, we are also working on the development of biomass plastics by utilizing the residues from the biofuel manufacturing process of Euglena. The development of "paramylon," a biomass plastic that uses paramylon, a unique ingredient contained only in Euglena, is underway, as well as those that utilize residues.
It has already been successfully developed, and experimental results show that it is stronger than 100% petroleum-derived plastic products. In addition, the development of biomass plastic will help solve social problems such as marine plastic waste, and will bring convenience to our lives while protecting the marine ecosystem.

History of Euglena

History of Euglena

  • 500 million years ago

    Birth of Euglena

    They were one of the first lifeforms to be formed on primitive Earth after its creation.

  • 1660s

    Euglena microalgae were discovered by Dutchman Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

    The scientific name “Euglena” means beautiful (eu) eye (glena) in Latin.

  • 1950s

    Photosynthesis research was conducted using Euglena

    Elucidation of the Calvin-Benson cycle, which is a carbon fixation reaction by photosynthesis (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1961)

  • 1970s

    Euglena research progresses from the perspective of space development

    The twofold advantages of Euglena gained much attention—they can grow in sunlight and carbon dioxide, and the carbon dioxide produced when humans breathe promotes their growth, with oxygen being produced as a result.

  • 1990s

    Research is progressing with regard to medical treatment, medical products, and carbon dioxide fixation using Euglena

  • December 2005

    euglena Co., Ltd. succeeded in the world’s first outdoor mass cultivation of Euglena for food use
  • 2007

    Utilizing Euglena
    Started selling food supplements
  • 2010

    Research started on manufacturing biofuel using Euglena as the raw material
  • 2020

    Euglena was used as a part of the raw material
    Completed biodiesel fuel and started supply
    Started research on "paramylon" bioplastic made from paramylon
    Creating potting soil from research on the agricultural use of Euglena
  • 2021

    Euglena was used as a part of the raw material
    Completed bio-jet fuel and succeeded in flight

a new future

Euglena-Related Business

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