When the nutrient-rich spirulina blue-green algae are consumed as a powder, the Bloom system enables you to grow your own superfood in the kitchen.
This Bloom is made by a British startup Canopi that states that fresh, live spirulina is more nutritious than its dried and powdered version. It does not have the ‘swampy’ taste and it will not extend its growth outside the pots.
The whole mechanism has two dishwasher-safe, BPA-free polypropylene “pods.” These are docked onto a powered base. It has a pack of 14 nutrient tablets with a live spirulina culture to initially set things up. This culture is sent from the US for North American customers, and from the UK for European customers.
Customers sue it by adding the tablets in water and the tablet gives the nutrients that the spirulina needs to grow. Also, it keeps the water at the optimum pH. The base manages the proper light levels and temperature during the whole growth cycle.
After a span of five days, the spirulina would be ready for harvesting. If the user loses track of time, a sensor in the system will gauge the algae density in the water send a notification on the app.
The air pump is then used to separate the goopy spirulina concentrate from the rest of the water. The filtrate is around 5 grams. It can be mixed in drinking water, added to a smoothie, or food. The next batch is then grown from the leftover of the previous batch.
Bloom is currently under an Indiegogo campaign. Around £149 (about US$203) is charged for the system and the speculated retail price is £249 ($339). Replacement 14-packs of the tablets will be $8 each.