The century-old Canarian food company La Isleña has forged a strategic partnership with the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC) to launch a line of pasta enriched with Canary Island Spirulina (Limnospira platensis) biomass. This innovation marks a milestone for both the food industry and regional biotechnology, as the Spirulina used is cultivated by the ITC using a pioneering technology that utilizes 100% seawater, without compromising its exceptional nutritional properties. This alliance, within the framework of the Acuiconecta project, consolidates La Isleña's position as a leader that balances its tradition dating back to 1870 with a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and progress.
The ITC has overcome a critical limitation of traditional Spirulina cultivation (known for its high protein and antioxidant content): its dependence on freshwater resources, a scarce commodity, especially in arid regions like the Canary Islands. Through a rigorous three-year acclimatization process, the ITC successfully developed a native Canarian strain (L. platensis BEA 1257B) that could thrive and maintain its nutritional composition under completely saline conditions. This development is being carried out at pilot scale in open photobioreactors in Pozo Izquierdo and represents a significant advance in adapting aquaculture to the Canarian marine environment (REBECA-CCT project).
The sustainability of the ITC cultivation process is remarkable. Not only is seawater replaced with freshwater, but the technology also includes a recirculation system that reuses the water resulting from the weekly biomass harvest. This resource efficiency significantly minimizes water consumption, reduces the need for nutrients, and decreases the energy consumption associated with pumping water, thus limiting the generation of aquaculture waste. The collaboration with La Isleña allows this sustainable innovation to be brought directly to consumers' shopping baskets, offering a high-quality nutritional product adapted to the environmental challenges of the Canary Islands.
