Phytochemicals Directly Detected by High-Resolution NMR on Klamath (Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae) Blue-Green Algae

Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) is a wild freshwater unicellular microalga that spontaneously grows in copious amounts in Upper Klamath Lake (OR, USA) a volcanic lake with hot, deep and mineral rich waters. These algae are considered as a “superfood”, due to their complete nutritional profile that has proved to have important therapeutic effects.[1-4] Here we report on the results obtained applying high-resolution NMR directly on AFA powder suspension. Klamath algae metabolome revealed to be quite complex. The most peculiar phytochemicals that can be detected directly on algae by NMR are mycosporine-like amino acids and low molecular weight glyceryl glycosides.