PhytoSmart’s Mission
We founded PhytoSmart in 2016 to discover and sustainably produce vital plant-based nutrients for people and animals. We first focused on omega-3 fatty acids and the algae that produce them.
Why Algae?
Algae are simple organisms that live in aquatic environments. Often referred to as aquatic plants, algae comprise more than 100,000 distinct species. Scientists have known and studied algae since the early 19th century and typically classify them as macroalgae, also known as seaweeds or “sea vegetables” (often encountered at the beach), or microalgae, single-cell organisms that live in fresh or salt water.
Algal species exist in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some require sunlight or artificial light to grow through photosynthesis, while others grow by absorbing energy from outside sources. The energy-absorbing algal species must acquire nutrients to survive, and frequently light does not influence their ability to grow.
Algae Enhance Health and Society
Until the late 20th century, scientists largely overlooked algae’s benefits. Then they began to understand and uncover various algal species’ contributions to health and society. Scientists now understand that algae enhance modern life in areas as varied as nutrition and renewable energy production.
PhytoSmart’s founders were particularly interested in algae’s nutritional benefits. We focused on algae as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, essential nutrients that influence the health of many organisms but are often lacking in the diets of most modern people, animals, and fish. One particular omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), plays critical roles in brain development and healthy cognition throughout the lifespan.
We concentrated our investigations on the primary sources of DHA – certain species of algae that live deep in all the world’s oceans. Because these species live on ocean floors, they are not photosynthetic, as sunlight cannot penetrate the depths of the oceans. Instead, they require nutrients to flourish and grow.
SPAGS: A Revolutionary Technology
As we contemplated transitioning something that lives in nature into a laboratory environment, we confronted a constant threat: contamination. One concern arose when providing the algae with nutrient-rich substances, like sugar – a natural energy source. This stringent demand for contamination control has led many to liken the cultivation of this specific category of algae more to biotechnology than traditional aquaculture methods.
Five years of research and development culminated in PhytoSmart’s patented technology. As a result, PhytoSmart now continuously grows the safest, most sustainable, and most highly bioavailable form of DHA available from marine microalgae.
We named this game-changing patented sterile bioreactor growing technology SPAGS (Sterile Plastic Algal Growth System). SPAGS allows for the continuous culturing and harvesting of various algal species with high efficiency. Consequently, we can produce whole-cell biomass at less than one-tenth of the capital expenditure of other growers while producing at 100 times the yield of the current state of industry standards.
Not only have we created a technology ideally suited to the sterile growing conditions required to culture this algal species, but we have successfully adapted other species that typically grow in light to achieve exponentially higher yields by adjusting them to grow in SPAGS. And, SPAGS technology is applicable to the culture and growth of many other single cell plant cultures in addition to algae cells.
ZipZyme™ Products Truly Sustainable Pet Nutrition
PhytoSmart’s inaugral product and brand for companion animals is ZipZyme™; the first and only unextracted Omega 3 nutrient. ZipZyme™, is a sustainable, innovative and potentially disruptive DHA omega-3 nutritionally value-added fresh food supplement. We currently offer it for pets, while the company plans similar products for aquaria, farm animals, horses, poultry, agricultural feeds, aquacultural feeds, and humans.
ZipZyme™ is a pet’s best defense for an active and vitally prolonged life as it works at the metabolic level to keep a pet healthy, energetic, and vital. In addition to supporting the repair and maintenance of various health issues relating to circulation, mobility, cognition, skin, and coat, to name a few, each daily serving offers an “apple a day” preventive protection to maintain good health and vitality. The product stands in contrast to and is a far superior and safer alternative to every extracted omega-3 oil sourced from fish or algae.
Learn how ZipZyme™ Omega can repair, protect and rebalance your pet’s health from the inside out.
PhytoSmart
Brunswick, ME 04011
207-281-2890
hello@phytosmart.com