{"id":662,"date":"2025-07-30T22:09:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T22:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/?page_id=662"},"modified":"2025-09-05T11:16:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:16:36","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"About us"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

The beginning<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\n
Vision<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

Our journey began with an idea and a desire to do the right thing to create happier lives. We've come a long way, but this is just the beginning of exploring opportunities with microalgae.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Discover the scientific research project that began in 2007.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\n
\n

Our History<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\n
Biotechnology and Research<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

Our journey with microalgae began at a seminar. One of the speakers mentioned that microalgae were rich in bioactive compounds, with great potential for the pharmaceutical industry. What initially seemed like just a curious idea quickly turned into an obsession.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

After a long review of the scientific literature, we became convinced that microalgae could pave the way for an innovative and sustainable economic activity.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n

But there was a challenge ahead: almost all publications were limited to laboratory experiments, and we, as industrial engineers, wanted to know if it would be possible to produce microalgae on an industrial scale. So we decided to build a pilot plant\u2014a small structure equipped with industrial-scale systems.<\/p>\n

The project advanced with the support of the University of the Azores, with Dr. Maria Helena Pereira da Silva as an investor, and later, the Regional Directorate of Science and Technology. Thus, Algicel was born in 2006. Between 2007 and 2011, we conducted intensive research that culminated in the first patents registered by Azoreans.<\/p>\n

At the time, I was the Director of Production, Maintenance, Quality, and Logistics at an agribusiness, where Gon\u00e7alo worked as my assistant. At the same time, Gon\u00e7alo, Emanuel Xavier\u2014a biologist fully dedicated to the project\u2014and I managed the small pilot plant, dedicating our after-hours and weekends to it. These were years of hard work, relentless study, and frustration. But also moments of gratification whenever we managed to solve a problem\u2014as if, amidst so many difficulties, we were receiving small rewards that motivated us to continue.<\/p>\n

I remember a conversation with Professor V\u00edtor Gon\u00e7alves about a specific microalgae, Haematococcus pluvialis. I asked if he had ever seen it in the Azores, and to my surprise, he said he had\u2014interestingly, in an old, abandoned refrigerator in a pasture on Santa Maria Island, used as a water reservoir for the animals. While it was an intriguing story, the idea of \u200b\u200bsearching for microalgae in an abandoned refrigerator seemed absurd to me, and I dismissed it. Interestingly, some time later, one of the company's technicians jokingly mentioned that he had microalgae in his backyard. The idea stuck with me, and a few days later, I suggested to Emanuel that he go check it out. We agreed that if we didn't find anything, we would go for a beer in Santo Ant\u00f4nio, where Lu\u00eds lived, and that way the trip wouldn't be in vain.<\/p>\n

To our surprise, in Lu\u00eds's backyard there was an old, rusty wheelbarrow with a puddle of completely red water inside. We took a sample and immediately went to the university laboratory. And, sure enough, it was Haematococcus pluvialis.<\/p>\n

Later, we found the same strain in other water sources. For almost a year, Emanuel dedicated himself to isolating the strain and developing a pure culture, from which we now produce astaxanthin on a large scale. In the following years, he specialized in microalgae, completing his master's and doctorate, and discovered that this Azorean strain was more productive than others from other regions.<\/p>\n

As is typical at the beginning of any project, we made many mistakes. I remember a particularly frustrating phase when we inoculated photobioreactors with Haematococcus pluvialis to induce astaxanthin production, but the culture insisted on remaining green. We spent months rereading scientific publications and repeating experiments until we realized the problem lay in the quality of the injected air. This discovery led us to invest in air purification systems, and it was only then that we began to actually produce astaxanthin. It was a constant process of trial and error, where the solution always seemed close, but just out of reach.<\/p>\n

Other challenges further complicated the process: we tried to increase productivity by adjusting the air velocity and CO2 concentration, but these changes brought new complications. Sometimes the culture was invaded by other microalgae, and other times it died due to an unbalanced pH. The microalgae required a delicate balance and an initial phase with little sunlight\u2014and only when we figured this out were we finally able to stabilize the process. It was as if the microalgae were teaching us that you can't rush nature.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

The small amount of biomass we could produce was carefully stored in the freezer, wrapped in aluminum foil, but we began to notice that the astaxanthin was disappearing over time, which forced us to study preservation methods. Each new obstacle forced us to further deepen our understanding of this fragile and demanding organism.<\/p>\n

To measure astaxanthin concentration, for example, we followed an existing protocol and were disappointed with the low values \u200b\u200bwe obtained. It was a major blow until we realized that the astaxanthin wasn't visible because the cells hadn't ruptured properly. After adjusting the protocol and fragmenting the cells, the concentrations exceeded expectations, reaching values \u200b\u200babove 4%. It was a constant learning process, in which today's victory was no guarantee that a new challenge wouldn't arise tomorrow.<\/p>\n

The need to fragment cells on an industrial scale led us to use a high-pressure homogenizer\u2014a piece of equipment common in other industries, but which, for us, represented a huge challenge. In the case of Haematococcus pluvialis, it was necessary to reach 1100 bar of pressure to rupture the cell wall. For those unfamiliar with the unit, this corresponds to approximately 11,000 meters of ocean depth. This is extreme pressure to rupture cells that, before astaxanthin segregation, are extremely fragile. The equipment parts broke frequently, and it took three long years to develop reliable adaptations. This constant struggle with the equipment taught us that innovation often stems from the need to adapt what already exists for new applications.<\/p>\n

The scale-up process brought other surprises. We decided to design a compressed air system to power approximately 4,000 photobioreactors, but the specialists we hired couldn't adapt the design to our needs. So I decided to learn about compressed air systems, reworked the calculations several times, and redesigned the entire project. When we finally installed the blowers, I was worried it wouldn't work, given the high investment\u2014but the system worked, and it was an indescribable feeling of victory.<\/p>\n

When we needed financing, we faced the economic crisis and the Troika's intervention in Portugal. All the banks considered the project interesting but refused to finance it. It wasn't until 2014 that the former Banif approved the financing\u2014but the institution went bankrupt the following year. We restarted the process and, at the end of 2016, obtained support from Novo Banco dos A\u00e7ores. In 2018, we began construction of the production unit and, in 2019, we conducted the first tests. In April 2020, we launched the Azora brand. However, in March 2020, the global pandemic paralyzed the world. It was a significant setback, but with effort, we began selling online and managed to place our products in some Wells pharmacies and parapharmacies. The following year, we expanded to the mainland.<\/p>\n

The biomass drying phase was another major challenge. Initially, we used a greenhouse, but the process was time-consuming and irregular. We decided to invest in a spray dryer, a well-established piece of equipment in other industries, but one that also posed several complications. After six months of adjustments, we finally managed to get it to work reliably\u2014a moment of immense satisfaction after so many attempts and failures.<\/p>\n

This project has been a long succession of challenges and small victories. We've learned that for every problem solved, new obstacles can arise\u2014and that the true solution only appears when we empty our minds of all pseudo-solutions. Each moment of frustration ultimately transforms into a victory that fills us with motivation to continue. This is how, between difficulties and resilience, between failures and learning experiences, we built the history of Algicel.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n
\n Construction of pilot unit<\/span>
\n 01<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Industrial-scale cultivation of microalgae in closed photobioreactors. After three years of testing, the desired results were achieved regarding the productivity of the Haematococcus pluvialis cultivation process in a closed photobioreactor.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n Construction curiosities<\/span>
\n 02<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Outdoor area \u2013 1 ha; Support structures for photobioreactors \u2013 13 km of square tube; R250 photobioreactors \u2013 1,010 units; R100 photobioreactors \u2013 2,896 units; Mini-photobioreactors \u2013 220 units; Erlenmeyer flasks \u2013 440 units; Test tubes \u2013 1,000 units; Valves \u2013 11,718 units; Pipes \u2013 10 km.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n Financing<\/span>
\n 03<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Only in 2016 was it possible to secure financing, both internally and through incentives from the European Union, within the scope of the Competir+ program, thus enabling the execution of the industrial project.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Azora<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Meet the founders<\/strong>
behind the product.<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n
\n

Partner<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

M. Helena Pereira Silva<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Partner<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Lu\u00eds Filipe Teves<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Partner<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Gon\u00e7alo Mota<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n
\n

Algicel, S.A. is owned by three partners:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Team with decades of experience<\/span><\/strong> in the areas of management and development.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

M. Helena Pereira da Silva \u2013 Graduated in Finance, Postgraduate in Systems Analysis.<\/p>\n

Lu\u00eds Filipe Chaves Medeiros Teves \u2013 Graduated in Production Engineering and Industrial Management, Master in Administration.<\/p>\n

Gon\u00e7alo C. F. Teixeira da Mota \u2013 Graduated in Agro-Industrial Engineering, Higher Technician in Occupational Health and Safety.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-662","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nSobre n\u00f3s - Algicel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sobre n\u00f3s - Algicel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/about-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Algicel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-05T11:16:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/\",\"name\":\"Sobre n\u00f3s - Algicel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-30T22:09:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-05T11:16:36+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"In\u00edcio\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sobre n\u00f3s\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/\",\"name\":\"Algicel\",\"description\":\"O mais potente antioxidante natural para uma vida saud\u00e1vel\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"About us - Algicel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/about-us\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sobre n\u00f3s - Algicel","og_url":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/about-us\/","og_site_name":"Algicel","article_modified_time":"2025-09-05T11:16:36+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/","url":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/","name":"About us - Algicel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-07-30T22:09:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-05T11:16:36+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/sobre-nos\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"In\u00edcio","item":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sobre n\u00f3s"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/#website","url":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/","name":"Algicel","description":"The most powerful natural antioxidant for a healthy life","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662"}],"version-history":[{"count":101,"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1975,"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/662\/revisions\/1975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/algicel.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}