FRIED COFFEE

“Molecular farming in plants will become a preeminent method for the production of pharmaceutical molecules in the next 10 years.”
- Fischer et. al. Transgenic Research (2000)

It’s seen on ponds and lakes the world over and generally taken as a common eyesore and a nuisance for swimmers.  As a child we heard all kinds of stories about the deadly things that built nests in the lake weeds and were horrified when our feet happened to touch it.  One certainly doesn’t cultivate it’s presence in the pool.  Read this article at MSN Encarta and you might begin to understand why so many people believe algae may well be the wave of the future.

Solazyme, a San Francisco company, seems to be using it to make things as disparate as brownies and jet fuel.  Other companies incorporate it into fertilizers, ink, food colorings, cosmetics, pharmceuticals, and sewage treatment products

The recipe for brownies is here on The Science Channel,  Episode 102,  of Brink,  featuring a story about Solazyme  ( You will also want to checkout Brinks souped up version of a pocket flashlight, same episode ).

If you are a sushi/sashimi fan you’ve enjoyed it in the form known as “nori”.  It’s used in ice cream and chocolate milk.  Several forms of it are eaten straight up as vegetables in China,  Japan, Chile, and Ireland  The darn stuff has been in use as a food source for over 2,500 years.  Southern Illinois University Carbondale published this Ethnobotanical Leaflet which outlines some historical facts and modern usages and Wikipedia has a lot to offer on why algae is being called a super-food by some.

There’s a lot of reading here in the links, but find a time when you’ve nothing really pressing to do and take a peek.  I promise you’ll find this interesting.