A new study in BMC Plant Biology shows that hydrolyzed molasses from sugar refining can replace expensive purified sugars in the growth medium for Chlorella vulgaris microalgae. Researchers in Egypt found that molasses-fed algae reached more than three times the cell density of control cultures, while keeping healthy photosynthetic activity. The biomass was also richer in proteins, lipids, pigments, and antioxidants. The same team then tested extracts from those algae on bell pepper plants in greenhouse trials. The extracts improved growth and fruit quality compared with untreated controls, pointing to a possible biofertilizer made from a waste stream. The approach still faces scale-up hurdles, especially contamination in sugar-rich media and the need to confirm results across crops and field conditions, but it offers a practical route to lowering input costs and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers.
