Vega Newsletter

How to Choose Your Chlorella

Look for high levels of the following key marker components in Chlorella (listed in order of importance): Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), Chlorophyll and Protein.

Typical value guidelines are:

Marker Poor Average Excellent
CGF <5% 10% > 15%

Chlorophyll <1.5% 2.5% > 3.5%

Protein <50% 55% > 60%


Different brands of Chlorella offer different substrains, growing conditions and procedures which can greatly affect the potency of Chlorella. For example, some brands can be several times higher in CGF and chlorophyll than other brands due to selective breeding, superior cultivation techniques and quality control practices.

Ensure Chlorella's tough cell wall is broken or cracked to improve digestibility as whole Chlorella is less than 50% digestible. Traditionally, Chlorella's cell walls have been broken by heat, chemical processing or milling. Milling grinds up the Chlorella to increase digestibility but this process also exposes the nutrients within the cell wall to increased oxidation and can reduce potency and shelf stability. Today, high pressure jet-spray drying is the preferred means of cell wall breakdown as it typically achieves over 80% digestibility without compromising potency or shelf life.

Choose a brand of Chlorella that is grown outdoors in clean, mineral-rich water with lots of natural sunlight. Japan's subtropical climate is perfect for the outdoor growing of Chlorella. Chlorella grown indoors in cement tanks have significantly lower concentrations of all the key marker components listed above plus lower levels of vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and iron. Natural sunlight can not be reproduced by any man made device.

Choose brands from the undisputed leader in Chlorella development and cultivation. Japan is by far the world's largest and most experienced Chlorella producer.

Choose brands of tablets and capsules that contain no binders or fillers or powders which are 100% Chlorella.