Nature Beta Technologies Ltd.
North Industrial Zone
Eilat, Israel
Short Bio
Ami Ben-Amotz received his B.Sc. & M.Sc. degrees at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and PhD at the Weitzman Institute of Science (WIS), Israel, the last on studies related to the halotolerant algaDunaliella. After post doctorate studies at Brandeis University, Boston, USA, on hydrogen production by marine algae and Batsheva de Rothschildfellowship on marine algae at the University of California, San Diego, USA, Prof. Ben-Amotz returned to Israel in 1975 and initiated academic and research activities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and at the WIS, the last was the core of his long time research with the late Prof. M. Avron to study the biology, physiology, biochemistry and biotechnology of marine microalgae with emphasis on the halotolerant algaDunaliella. The fruitful scientific cooperation opened the way to establish the commercial Dunaliella plant in Eilat, Israel, known as Nature Beta Technologies Ltd, (NBT), later subsidiary of Nikken Sohonsha Co., Japan. Along his extensive career with marine microalgae, Prof. Ben-Amotz served as Head of the Department of Marine Biology, the NIO, and Head of the Dunaliella Section at the WIS. Ami Ben-Amotz served as President of the International Marine Biotechnology Conference in Israel in 2007 and later for 4 years, 2014-2018 Leading Partner of the European Commission D-Factory project on Dunaliella.
He is now serving as the Chief Scientist of NBT, Israel, and Chief Scientist of Nikken Sohonsha Co., Japan. Ami Ben-Amotz has more than 150 scientific publications including 3 books on aspects related to marine algae, natural products andalgae & environment.
Abstract- Microalgae as Food Additive, Nutritional Supplement and Novel Food, from the lab bench to the market
The algal kingdom is divided into eleven classes as compared to only one class of all higher plants. The distribution taxonomy and classification of the algae is founded mainly on basic cellular features of pigments, carbohydrates and lipids assisted recently by genetic identification. Algae are spread in many habitats and ecological niches, in freshwater, marine and salt environments, from freezing to extreme high temperatures, under wide irradiation spectra and intensities, phototrophic and heterotrophic. Out of the many unicellular algae known only a few species have reached the applied arcade. The first species were Tetraselmis, Scenedesmus, Navicula, Isochrisis, Phaeodactylumand a few others used as feed in aquaculture and mariculture. Chlorella and Spirulina followed mid of the last century for human food in the Far East. A few other microalgae like Dunaliella,Haematococcus, Nannochloropsis, PorphyridiumandPhaeodactylumhave been introduced over the last decade for high value biochemicals of vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and natural colors. In the last 10 years algae were considered as feasible option for biofuel but the low photosynthetic efficiency and the high cost of biosolar algal production together with sophisticated harvesting and processing turned the energy stage open to other lower cost energy resources.
Case studies of economic success:Dunaliella, halotolerant member of the Chlorophyceae regulates its osmotic intracellular pressure by buildup of high concentration of glycerol up to 60% of the cell dry weight, simple carbohydrate with low economic value.
Dunaliella adapts to extreme solar radiation by the accumulation of excessive content of chloroplastic peripheral extra-plastidic globular orange β-carotene. The content of β-carotene may exceed 10% per dry weight, about 100 times higher than in high carotenoids vegetable and fruits like carrot, sweet potato, mango or persimmon. The β-carotene in Dunaliella is composed of two stereoisomers, all-trans and 9-cis reaching a ratio of 1/1 under certain growth conditions.
Parallel to Dunaliella and through closely similar physiology and biochemistry the fresh water chlorophyte Haematococcus pluvialis produces and accumulates high content of the pink-red pigment astaxanthin
NBT Ltd. Under licensing and knowhow agreement by the Weizmann Institute of Science has been cultivating Dunaliellasince 1987 in open ponds close to the Red Sea, Eilat on area size of 100,000m2 producing salt washed Dunaliella powder at the equivalent quantity of 3,000 kg natural β-carotene/year. Algatech Ltd., is cultivating Haematococcuspluvialis algae in close tubular photobiorectors in Kibbutz Ketura under knowhow of Ben-Gurion University and their major product is extracted astaxanthin oleoresin.
Dunaliella natural stereo-isomeric β-carotene, USA GRAS-FDA approved expresses medical and preventative properties against certain chronic diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, psoriasis and the eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa. The associated medical studies are conducted by Tel Hashomer Hospital, Sheba Medical Center, Israel to show that the clinical effect of Dunaliella is expressed through the conversion of the 9-cis β-carotene to two nuclear receptors, RXR, 9-cis retinoic acid and RAR, all-trans retinoic acid in equivalent ratio, both active as essential ligands in cell nuclear transcription.
Israel today is the pioneering country in applied phycology of micro algae, leading in cultivation, harvesting, processing and application, a global model of success.