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£14.99 — Out of Stock
*Out of stock with the supplier.* Discover UK’s first and only raw spirulina! Gourmet Spirulina was founded by two passionate French entrepreneurs with a background in spirulina production. They offer three forms of culinary spirulina: spirulina crunchies, spirulina nibs and spirulina petals. All three of our formats of raw spirulina have an equivalent nutritional quality but the tastes and textures are different due to the application of specific post-harvest techniques and the differences in natural conditions between the production areas.
100% pure spirulina dehydrated at ambient temperatures (< 42 °C) with no additives.
Fair trade production; free from pesticides and phytochemicals. Please read on..
"Gourmet Spirulina dehydrated spirulina petals/nibs/crunchies must be differentiated from non-culinary product given the wide differences in the manufacturing process, the final product and its possible uses. Our spirulina petals/nibs/crunchies are produced with 100% pure spirulina. Although they differ in shape and format, they are simply differentiated during the drying process and are fundamentally the exact same product, except for a slight variation in taste due to slightly different growing conditions, most notably humidity during the drying process, solar irradiation, and mineral content of the water (a terroir in the proper sense).Spirulina
| Nutritional Information | per 100g |
|---|---|
| Energy | - |
| Fat | 6 g |
| of which saturates | - |
| Carbohydrate | 17 g |
| - of which sugars | - |
| Dietary Fiber | - |
| Protein | 62 g |
| Salt | - |
Why prepare genuinely raw spirulina?
For the outcome of course. Genuinely raw spirulina has the best taste, far from the “pond scum in a pouch” approach that dominates the market. It also better preserves the fragile nutrients of spirulina than the damaging techniques typically used – mainly spray-drying, which consists of spraying fresh spirulina in a flow of hot air exceeding 100°C.
When we first started, culinary spirulina was barely a thing. The core message was that spirulina was good for the health and nobody really cared about anything else than its benefits. We were different. We were passionate about spirulina and believed that spirulina was first and foremost a food. We were fascinated with the natural good taste of fresh spirulina and worked hard to find a way to share that good taste we get at the farm.
How is the raw spirulina processed?
Minimally processed would be a fairer term as we really do our best not to interfere with the product and we present a dehydrated form that is as close as possible to the fresh product.
First of all, the spirulina is harvested from our cultivation pools: when they are filtered, the microscopic spirals interwine and form a paste with the density of a smoothie. This paste is washed and then dewatered using a source of pressure or a vacuum (depending on our farm). When then extrude it, which is basically giving a fine shape that will make the drying happen in good conditions.
This stage is very much like what happens with pasta and before they are dried, our nibs actually look like spirulina spaghetti! Finally, the remaining moisture is then evacuated by applying a dry air flow.
As a result, our genuinely raw spirulina is presented in interesting sprinklable formats – nibs, crunchies, petals, flakes.
No powder here as fine powder is clearly an indicator of spray-drying and the only reason why you’ll fine spirulina powder labelled as “raw” is that unfortunately there is no legislation on the subject and many marketers have understood the demand for raw products but aren’t ready to put the effort and extra cost to set up a proper supply chain to actually get raw spirulina.
RAW
Unfortunately there is no "raw" certification agency which can help us prove our process is indeed raw. We have recently ordered some lab analyses to prove that the enzymatic profile is very different from industrial spirulinas, which should prove that the Maillard reaction which happens above 42°C hasn't occurred in our spirulinas. The use of this kind of analysis is very novel and should make it easier to control. Starting this end of year, we will also be testing sensors which will be placed with the spirulina along the whole process to track the temperature during the whole of the process and we will make this data publicly available.
ORGANIC
In the absence of an official EU standard for organic spirulina, we have chosen to produce our spirulina in the spirit of the organic movement but with a source of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.
QUALITY CRITERIA
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
GHG of international transport prior to carbon mitigation: 9.9 kg CO2 eq. per net kg of spirulina nibs or petals and 20.4 kg CO2 eq. per net kg of spirulina crunchies. As a result of our annual carbon compensation scheme, the final GHG emissions of our logistical chain and transportation are 0 kg CO2 eq. per net kg of spirulina.
Primary packaging analysis: laminated 147 μm-thick BOPP/ALU/LPDE pouches, BPA- and phtalate-free, with no contact between the product and the aluminium layer.
Eco-certified labels and leaflets (French Imprim'vert standard).
Click HERE to listen to this podcast interview with Charly Margain of Gourmet Spirulina. He discusses the process of making truly raw spirulina, as well as the benefits of this incredible superfood, and how his company works to share the wonders of spirulina with as many people as possible.
