"There is probably no microorganism that is more exciting than algae." Pearse Lyons

That is a strong statement coming from a man who has built a global animal feed supplement company on another microorganism. Alltech started out in 1980 with one product made from yeast. Ironically, Alltech's new algae production plant also started out in yeast. It was built next door to a large dairy facility so that it could use whey as a feed source for yeast.

The plant has changed hands and grown over the years. In the 80s Martek acquired it and converted it for production of algae-based omega-3 fatty acid food additives. A second building equipped with fully-automated eight story tall stainless steel fermentors was added. For research and development purposes, a 3,000-liter automated replica of the entire production plant was built. This pilot plant will allow Alltech to develop new products and methods before ramping up to commercial scale operation.

In this brief video Dr. Lyons explains why the new plant is perfect for Alltech's entry into algae production.

Find out more about Alltech's Algae Production Facility.

Algae has a lot of applications. Where do you think the algae industry should be focusing its efforts?