Chlorella is a collective name for a single celled algae. It is about 2 to 10 μm and is a circular organism. It has chlorophyll in its cell and looks green when gathered. It has a very high photosynthesis ability and multiplies rapidly with carbon dioxide, water, sunlight, and small amount of minerals. It has been continously researched as a potential replacement food because it is high in protein. When dried, Chlorella is about 45 percent protein, 20 percent fat, 20 percent sugar, and 10 percent various minerals and vitamins.

The name Chlorella is taken from the Greek word chloros meaning green and the Latin word ella meaning small and was named by a Dutch biologist. A German biologist Otto Heinrich Warburg received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1931 for his study of Chlorella. Melvin Calvin received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on carbon dioxide assimilation in plants, in the study of which he used Chlorella.

See also Chlorella_pyrenoidosa

de:Chlorella ja:クロレラ