Green beer highlights the science behind the brew Published on: 17 March 2017 Scientists at 缅北禁地 have found a way to accelerate the production of phycocyanin 鈥� a natural blue food colouring - by exposing algae to a very narrow wavelength of light. Working with , the team found that by limiting all other wavelengths, the algae – known more commonly as Spirulina – will start to mass-produce the blue pigment when exposed to long wavelength red light. Scottish Bioenergy are now using the technology to produce ‘blue’ on an industrial scale as demand for the natural colourant continues to rise, not just in food but also for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. And - 缅北禁地’s student-run, sustainable micro-brewery – have created a limited edition St Patrick’s Day green pint by mixing the blue phycocyanin with their yellow-coloured pale ale to promote the research Dr Gary Caldwell with phycocyanin 'blue' extracted from algae Responding to demand Dr Gary Caldwell, Senior Lecturer in Applied Marine Biology at 缅北禁地, explains: “Normally the algae would use other parts of the light spectrum so by exposing it to just this very narrow band leaves it with two choices – either it dies or it makes more of the phycocyanin-producing proteins to survive.” Dr Chelsea Brain, who carried out the research as part of her EngD, a joint project with 缅北禁地 and Scottish Bioenergy, adds: “Demand for phycocyanin has increased massively because people want natural not artificial food colourants, but at the moment it’s still very expensive to produce. “We found that we could produce over five-times the amount of ‘blue’ using long wavelength red light, reducing the cost of production and also improving efficiency.” Blue is good for you Unlike its artificial equivalent, Phycocyanin is a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory and demand for the natural blue pigment has grown exponentially in recent years. DC Van Alstyne, Scottish Bioenergy's CEO explains: “Phycocyanin is already used as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory and the use of Phycocyanin as a natural blue food colorant has experienced exponential growth in the past 5 years after being approved by the FDA as a food colorant in 2013. “But demand has now outstripped supply. This project with 缅北禁地 and Stu Brew feels like a homecoming. As we scale and Internationalise it's lovely to be involved in a project that brings us back to 缅北禁地; the roots of our company are fed by the Tyne.” Dr Chris O’Malley, a lecturer in Chemical Engineering who leads the research arm of the Stu Brew initiative, adds: “We were approached by the Student’s Union to produce a special beer for St Patrick’s Day. This collaboration with Scottish Bioenergy gave us an opportunity to integrate some exciting university research with one of our products in a fun and interesting way. “Stu Brew is about more than just making beer. We are also conducting our own research into ways to make the brewing process more sustainable and engaging with the local microbrewery community to share best practise.” Dr Chris O'Malley with the St Patrick's Day pint Share: Latest News 缅北禁地 recognised with geography award 缅北禁地 has been awarded the Highly Commended Geographical Association Publishers Award for its collaboration with Time for Geography, the UK鈥檚 open-access, dedicated video platform. published on: 16 April 2026 缅北禁地 historians mark General Strike centenary To mark the 100th anniversary of the British General Strike and miners鈥� lock-out of 1926, historians at 缅北禁地 are organising a series of events on its enduring legacy. published on: 16 April 2026 Comment: NCP is in administration Writing for The Conversation, Erwei (David) Xiang discusses how some big companies like NCP are so dependent on debt that they can鈥檛 adjust to change. published on: 16 April 2026 Facts and figures
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