Namibia Workshop SANUMARC Univeristy of Namibia, Hentiesbay 3 - 5 June 2010

Presenter Biographies

NUTRACEUTICAL EFFECT OF THE MICROALGA DUNALIELLA BARDAWIL

Dunaliella is a halotolerant microalga unique in its ability to grow and flourish in salt water bodies containing extreme salt concentration such as the Dead Sea, where the harsh salt stress eliminates growth of any other living organism.

Among the many interesting features of Dunaliella, a few are related to nutrition and medicine where under the appropriate cultivation conditions, the alga generates and stores valuable phytochemicals in a special blend not found in any other plant. Two major substances of special nutraceutical potential are glycerol and β-carotene stored within the alga in synergism of lipophilic/hydrophilic embedding.

The β-carotene comprises about 50% all-trans β - carotene with the remainder composed mostly of the high lipophilic 9-cis β -carotene and a few other β -carotene stereoisomers.

The algal all-trans β -carotene is concentrated within oily droplets of 9-cis β - carotene distributed all across the algal chloroplast.
Dunaliella accumulates and contains in addition a wide range of special ingredients not common to higher plants due to the growth of the alga in halophilic environment.

N.B.T. Ltd., subsidiary of Nikken Sohonsha Co., cultivates a selected species, Dunaliella bardawil in large-scale open hi-tech ponds in formulated Dead Sea water close to Eilat City, Israel. The algae are harvested, washed and spray dried by propitiatory process to yield Dunaliella powder comprising high stereoisomer mixture of β -carotene with all of the other alga natural components. The powder is vacuum packed in capsules of 250-mg dry algae. The nutraceutical effect of Dunaliella in mammals may be explained as follows;

• Antioxidation. Synergistic anti-free radical activity of all-trans and 9-cis β -carotene which is facilitated by the high bio-absorption of 9-cis stereoisomer in cellular tissues.
• Retinoic acid anti-tumor activity. Retinoic acids are known to bind and activate nuclear receptors of retinoic acid. Retinoid analogues reverse malignant processes and prevent carcinogenesis by inhibition of cell proliferation and promotion of cell differentiation. Dunaliella provides both pro all-trans and 9-cis retinoic acids in natural formulation safe for high dose dietary intake.
• Synergism. Combined effect of β - carotene and the other organic and inorganic nutraceuticals of Dunaliella.

Presented by:

Professor Ami Ben-Amotz received his MSc degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and PhD at the Weitzman Institute of Science (WIS) Israel, both on the algae Dunaliella. After post-doctorate studies at Brandeis University USA, he returned to Israel and initiated research academic activity at the NIO and at the WIS to study the biology, physiology, biochemistry and biotechnology of Dunaliella in a long co-operation with the late Prof. M. Avron of the WIS.

The fruitful cooperation led the way to establishment of the commercial Dunaliella production plant at Eilat, known today as Nature Beta Technologies Ltd., (NBT) Israel, a subsidiary of Nikken Sohonsha Co., Japan.

Along his long career with Dunaliella Prof Ben-Amotz served as Head of the Department of Marine Biology at NIO and head of the Dunaliella section at the WIS, Chief Scientist of NBT and recently as Chief Scientist at Nikken Sohonsha Co., Japan.

Prof Ben-Amotz was nominated as President of the 8th International Marine Biotechnology Conference which was held at Eilat, March 2007. Prof Ben-Amotz has more than 130 publications and supervised dozens of students mostly on aspects related to marine microalgae, Dunaliella and natural carotenoids.