Researchers have confirmed that the Carolina azolla fern does not produce harmful cyanotoxins, suggesting the plant could safely tackle global food insecurity while providing a sustainable solution.
The Carolina azolla, a fast-growing floating freshwater fern, has garnered attention from scientists worldwide for its potential to alleviate global food insecurity. New findings from an international team of researchers, including Daniel Winstead at Penn State, have dispelled concerns about the plant’s safety by confirming that it does not produce harmful cyanotoxins.
The study, published in the journal Plants, underscores azolla’s nutritional value and digestibility, reinforcing its promise as a sustainable food source.
“That finding suggests that azolla is food safe and has the potential to safely feed millions of people due to its rapid growth while free-floating on shallow fresh water without the need for nitrogen fertilizers,” Winstead, a research technologist at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, said in a news release.
He emphasized the plant’s unique characteristic of doubling its biomass every two days and capturing nitrogen directly from the air.
Concerns arose earlier this year regarding toxins potentially produced by cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, living within azolla. Cyanotoxins, potent toxins linked to severe health issues like neurodegenerative disorders, muscle paralysis and liver and kidney failure, were a significant worry.
“I felt a sense of responsibility to help answer this question because we had just published about azolla’s nutritional quality,” added Winstead, who was the lead author on the previous study. “I didn’t want to be promoting the consumption of a potentially harmful plant.”
In response, an international collaborative effort was initiated. Researchers from the Azolla Foundation, the University of Porto in Portugal, Azolla Biodesign in Arizona and several other esteemed institutions came together to rigorously test the presence of cyanotoxins in azolla.
“Together, we analyzed the results and concluded that azolla, and more specifically a cyanobacterium that lives in cavities in the leaves of azolla, do not produce any of the main cyanotoxins,” Winstead said. The study identified the cyanobacterium as Nostoc azollae, confirmed to lack the genetic material necessary to produce these harmful toxins.
Winstead highlighted the broader implications of this breakthrough.
“It could help feed many people in need around the world as well as become a new source of biofertilizer and biodiesel,” he added, framing azolla as a multipurpose solution to several pressing global issues.
This pivotal discovery sets the stage for further exploration into azolla’s potential, promoting sustainable agriculture and food security worldwide.