Chlorella pyrenoidosa or sorokiniana?
Some claim that chlorella pyrenoidosa does not exist. This is in fact the consequence of inconsistencies and errors detected in some older scientific studies.
The strains that have historically been assigned to the Chlorella pyrenoidosa species are likely to be misidentified. Most of the strains formerly known by this term have been renamed Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella sorokiniana or Chlorella fusca, the latter having been transferred to the genus Scenedesmus (Huss et al., 1999; Ullmann, 2006; Roshon, pers. comm.). However, the reclassification work is not complete.
It is now recognised in the scientific world that many chlorella pyrenoidosa cultures studied in the past actually refer to what is now called chlorella sorokiniana.
At the major chlorella producers level, analyses and certifications have made it possible to determine precisely which strains are cultivated and, where applicable, the designations pyrenoïdosa are gradually replaced by sorokiniana. This is the case for chlorella selected by Nutriphys®.
The chlorella sorokiniana species is named after its isolator, Dr. Constantine Sorokin, who published detailed information on this chlorella species (such as Chlorellu pyrenoidosu Chick, strain 7-1 1-05) isolated from a sample collected on 10 June 1951 from the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It appears to be closely related, due to its rapid growth rate, to the vigorously growing chlorella regularis. But its ability to grow very quickly at high temperatures justifies its ranking as a species.