Chlorella Species, Biomass Form and Trade Evidence

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-14Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$370M

Producing countries tracked

6

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

6

Trade corridors

6

Latest reviewed evidence

A dated Korean health-functional-food code for artificially cultured and dried Chlorella genus algae specifies at least 10 milligrams per gram total chlorophyll, lead no more than 3 milligrams per kilogram, cadmium no more than 1, total mercury no more than 0.5, total pheophorbide no more than 1,000 and a negative coliform result. These are source-specific reference requirements, not current lot results, universal destination rules, health claims, supply volumes or prices.

Korean Chlorella total-chlorophyll floor

10

milligrams per gram, minimum · Korean Health Functional Food Code English text hosted by FAOLEX, dated source

Korean Chlorella lead ceiling

3

milligrams per kilogram, maximum · Korean Health Functional Food Code English text hosted by FAOLEX, dated source

Korean Chlorella cadmium ceiling

1

milligram per kilogram, maximum · Korean Health Functional Food Code English text hosted by FAOLEX, dated source

Korean Chlorella total-mercury ceiling

0.5

milligram per kilogram, maximum · Korean Health Functional Food Code English text hosted by FAOLEX, dated source

Korean Chlorella total-pheophorbide ceiling

1000

milligrams per kilogram, maximum · Korean Health Functional Food Code English text hosted by FAOLEX, dated source

EU feed-catalogue iodine declaration trigger for algae

100

parts per million; declaration required above this level · EU Catalogue of Feed Materials consolidated to 2022-07-24

FDA GRN 986 C. sorokiniana protein floor

55

percent, minimum in the notifier specification · FDA response letter dated 2022-02-04

FDA GRN 986 C. sorokiniana lead ceiling

1

milligram per kilogram, less than in the notifier specification · FDA response letter dated 2022-02-04

Species and strain identity come before the Chlorella name

NCBI records Chlorella vulgaris Beijerinck, 1890 as taxonomy ID 3077 within the green-algal family Chlorellaceae. The European Commission's 2022 novel-food-status consultation covers six named taxa, including Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella sorokiniana, and notes that Chlorella taxonomy can be difficult. Atlas therefore retains the source scientific name, strain or culture accession and identity method; a genus-only label is not silently upgraded to a verified species.

Live suspension, dried biomass, meal, extract and oil are separate products

The EU Catalogue of Feed Materials distinguishes live or processed algae, dried algae, algae meal left after oil extraction and algal oil, with different compulsory declarations. The Commission's Chlorella consultation separately describes cultivated dried biomass and lyophilized extract for food uses. Whole-cell powder, disrupted-cell powder, tablets, capsules, extracts and residual meal can differ in process, composition, particle size, digestibility, contamination controls and value, so Atlas does not merge their observations.

Regulatory status remains attached to the exact species, process and use

The 2022 EU consultation records the named Chlorella taxa as not novel food for the described dried biomass and extract, but the Commission states that its status catalogue is non-binding and that operators must prove history of consumption and comply with national and use-specific rules. In the United States, FDA's GRAS inventory shows that GRN 396 for Chlorella vulgaris strain Beij ended when the notifier asked FDA to cease evaluation. FDA's no-questions response for GRN 986 applies instead to a specified Chlorella sorokiniana powder and micro powder. Atlas does not transfer one species, process, notifier specification or regulatory disposition to another lot.

Reference specifications do not establish a delivered Chlorella price

The Korean chlorophyll, heavy-metal and pheophorbide limits, EU feed declarations and FDA notifier specifications define dated regulatory or product contexts, not current production, saleable inventory or value. A delivered estimate still needs permitted current observations for the exact species and strain, cultivation and processing origins, form and intended use, harvest and drying dates, lot-linked composition, contaminant and microbiological evidence, package and quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella sorokiniana interchangeable?

No. They are separate species records, and strain, cultivation, processing and intended use can further change the product. Evidence and regulatory dispositions stay attached to the exact named organism and material.

Does FDA GRN 986 cover every Chlorella product?

No. The no-questions letter concerns the notifier's specified Chlorella sorokiniana powder and micro powder and stated uses. It does not establish the status of Chlorella vulgaris or a different strain, process, specification or use.

Does the EU not-novel conclusion prove a Chlorella lot is compliant?

No. The consultation addresses the described named taxa and food history. The Commission calls the catalogue non-binding, and each operator still needs lot evidence and the current rules for the actual country, form and use.

Which fields make Chlorella offers comparable?

Species, strain or culture accession, identity method, cultivation mode and site, harvest and drying dates, live, dried, whole-cell, disrupted-cell, meal, extract or oil form, intended use, moisture, protein, fat, ash, chlorophyll, pheophorbide, particle size, process, microbiological, heavy-metal, pesticide, toxin and authenticity evidence, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.