Chlorella
Chlorella is a green freshwater microalga sold as a fine green powder of dried whole cells. The mainstream commercial species are Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa (now reclassified as Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa).
The whole-cell powder carries roughly 55 to 65 percent protein on a dry basis, alongside chlorophyll a and b, beta-carotene, lutein, B-group vitamins, iron, and a thick polysaccharide cell wall.
Because the native cell wall resists human digestion, almost all food-grade material is processed through a mechanical bead-milling or pressure-disruption step before drying. The resulting broken-cell-wall powder is the standard format for tablets, capsules, and beverage premixes.
We source bulk Chlorella from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Shandong and Fujian. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Packaging
- 25 kg fibre drum with double PE liner
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Food Grade, Feed Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Dark green fine powder |
| Protein (dry basis) | ≥ 55% |
| Chlorophyll | ≥ 1.5% |
| Cell-Wall Broken Rate | ≥ 95% |
| Moisture | ≤ 7.0% |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | ≤ 10,000 cfu/g |
| Purity/Assay (Food Grade) | High |
| Moisture/Loss on Drying | < 7% |
| pH | 6.0 - 8.0 |
| Ash | < 10% |
| Lead | < 1 ppm |
| Arsenic | < 0.5 ppm |
| Yeast & Mold | < 100 cfu/g |
Common Markets Grades
Chlorella is graded by species, cell-wall treatment, and finished format.
Broken-cell-wall (BCW) whole powder is the volume grade, typically 95 to 99 percent purity with the remainder being process moisture. It is a dark green powder with a 80 to 200 mesh particle size.
Tabletted grades use 200 to 250 mg compressed discs, often with a thin food-grade coating. Capsule fills use a finer 200 mesh micronized cut.
Premium organic-certified material is grown in outdoor raceway ponds in Taiwan, Japan, and the Hainan province of China. Indoor heterotrophic fermentation grades, grown on glucose in stainless tanks, carry a lighter colour but tighter heavy-metal and microbial profiles.
Specialty grades include high-chlorophyll selections (above 3 percent chlorophyll) and high-protein selections targeting sports-nutrition formulators.
Applications
- Standalone green-superfood tablets and capsules
- Powdered greens blends with spirulina, wheatgrass, and barley grass
- Plant-protein shakes and meal-replacement formulas
- Functional beverage shots and ready-to-drink green juices
- Nutrition bars and energy balls for natural green colouring and nutrient density
- Bakery applications such as green-tinted breads, pasta, and crackers
- Vegan and vegetarian multivitamin premixes
- Pet supplements positioned around detox and coat health
- Aquaculture feed for shrimp, tilapia, and ornamental fish larvae
- Topical skincare masks and serums for the chlorophyll and peptide content
Brands Using Chlorella
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Chlorella on the ingredient label.
- Sun ChlorellaSun Chlorella A Tablets ↗Whole-cell Chlorella pyrenoidosa (Sun Chlorella strain) tablets; cell wall mechanically pulverized for digestibility; 60+ nutrients including vitamin B12, protein, chlorophyll.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Sun ChlorellaSun Chlorella Powder ↗Powdered whole-cell chlorella (pyrenoidosa) from outdoor sunlight cultivation; cell wall broken for absorption.Label verified 2026-05-24
- NOW FoodsChlorella 1000 mg Tablets ↗Whole-cell chlorella microalgae tablets, 1000 mg each; cell wall mechanically broken; provides chlorophyll, beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron, protein.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Source NaturalsYaeyama Chlorella Tablets ↗Yaeyama-grown chlorella spray-dried with broken cell wall; supplies CGF, chlorophyll, beta-carotene, B-12 and iron.Label verified 2026-05-24
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Chlorella
Top Chlorella manufacturers in China.
Fuqing King Dnarmsa Spirulina Co., Ltd.4 ingredients in the directory- Qingdao Kehai Biochemistry Co., Ltd.2 ingredients in the directory
Qingdao Langyatai Group3 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Chlorella
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Chlorella out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Chlorella together with other ingredients such as Astaxanthin, Dehydrated Garlic and Lutein into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Chlorella has a long history of food use in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea and is treated as a conventional food in those markets.
In the United States, Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa are marketed as dietary ingredients under DSHEA, with no FDA objection to several self-affirmed GRAS notifications for use in foods and beverages.
In the European Union, Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella pyrenoidosa sold before 1997 are not classed as novel foods. Newer species and biomass from heterotrophic culture have been the subject of separate Novel Food applications.
Heavy metal limits, particularly for cadmium, lead, and arsenic, are the primary specification concern given the high natural mineral uptake of the organism.
Manufacturing Process
Outdoor photoautotrophic cultivation is the traditional method. Algae are grown in shallow open ponds or paddle-wheel raceways under natural sunlight, fed with a mineral medium of nitrate, phosphate, and trace elements. Harvest is by centrifugation once the culture reaches stationary phase.
Closed tubular photobioreactors are used in regions with less reliable sun or stricter contamination control. Glass or PMMA tubes circulate the culture under metered light and CO₂ injection.
Heterotrophic fermentation skips light entirely. Chlorella is grown in conventional fed-batch fermenters on a glucose carbon source. This route delivers higher cell density and a more consistent compositional profile but lower chlorophyll content.
After harvest the wet biomass passes through a bead mill or high-pressure homogeniser to fracture the rigid cellulose-sporopollenin cell wall. The slurry is then spray-dried into the final green powder.
