Measurement of Acute Metabolite Changes Following Consumption of Microalgae Drinks

Measurement of Acute Metabolite Changes Following Consumption of Unprocessed and Processed Microalgae: A Randomized Crossover Trial

Protein consumption is essential for various physiological processes, with microalgae and plant proteins gaining increasing attention due to their health benefits. To better understand how different protein types and processing methods impact health outcomes, this study aims to analyse the metabolite changes in response to different protein sources.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Metabolomics; Protein Absorption and Amino Acid Availability
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Bead-milled microalgae; Dietary supplement: Non-bead-milled microalgae; Dietary supplement: Whey protein isolate; Dietary supplement: Soy protein isolate; Dietary supplement: Maltodextrin (Placebo)

Detailed Description

This study is a randomised crossover trial involving 16 participants. It comprises one screening visit and five test visits, during which participants will consume intervention drinks containing primarily (1) maltodextrin, (2) whey protein isolate, (3) soy protein isolate, (4) bead-milled microalgae, or (5) non-bead-milled microalgae in a randomised order. The study aims to investigate and compare acute postprandial metabolite responses following the consumption of bead-milled and non-bead-milled microalgae, as well as whey and soy protein isolates, in Singaporean adults.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Marven Ng, B.Sc.; Phone Number: (+65) 8816 9977; Email: ngmarven@u.nus.edu

Study Locations

• Singapore
  • Singapore, Singapore
    • NUS, Department of Food Science and Technology, 1 Science Drive 3, Block S13, #03-07, Singapore, 117550
    • Principal Investigator: Jung Eun Kim, Ph.D., R.D.
    • Contact: Marven Ng, B.Sc.; Phone Number: (+65) 8816 9977; Email: ngmarven@u.nus.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• English-literate and able to give informed consent
• Singaporean Chinese Adults aged 21 to 60 (inclusive)
• Body mass index of 18.5 to 23.0 kg/m^2 (inclusive)
• Healthy (Based on results from screening session)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently participating in another clinical study that involves altering the regular diet and/or involves consuming a dietary supplement or investigated food product as an intervention
• High blood pressure (≥ 140/90 mmHg)
• Underlying health conditions that may affect metabolic functions
• Consuming amino acid or protein supplements, or protein drinks, regularly (i.e., more than three times a week) for the past 3 months, and not willing to discontinue usage 3 months before and during the study duration
• Weight change > 3 kg in the past 3 months
• Weight < 50 kg
• Exercising vigorously over the past 3 months (i.e., engaging in high-intensity exercises for more than 3 hours a week, where high-intensity exercises leave one out of breath and unable to talk or sing during the workout)
• Current smokers or have quit smoking for less than 5 years
• Drinking > 2 alcoholic drinks per day (i.e., one drink is defined as either 150 ml of wine, 340 ml of beer/cider or 45 ml of distilled spirit)
• If drinking ≤ 2 alcoholic drinks per day, not willing to stop consumption of alcoholic beverages two days before and on the day of the test visits
• Not willing to stop consumption of caffeinated beverages 10 to 12 houFrs before and on the day of the test visits
• Currently on a specialised diet (e.g., Halal, vegetarian, vegan, weight loss diet)
• Had serious food allergies in the past, or having intolerance, sensitivities or allergies to any of the following: seaweed or algae and their derived products, milk/dairy products (e.g., whey), starch/starch-derived products (e.g., rice, corn, wheat, potato), soy/soy-derived products, gluten, eggs, nuts, peanuts, fish and crustaceans
• Disease or impairment of the kidney and/or liver*
• Currently diagnosed with diabetes*, gastrointestinal issues (e.g., lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome), gout and/or G6PD deficiency
• Taking antibiotics 2 weeks prior to study participation
• Taking anti-hypertensive or cholesterol-lowering drugs for less than 3 years unless medically declared by an official doctor to be in stable condition
• Poor peripheral venous access based on past experiences with blood drawing
• Individuals with anemia and/or blood clotting disorders
• Donated blood within the 12 weeks prior to study participation
• Individuals with pacemaker or related electrical medical devices
• Pregnant, lactating, or planning pregnancy in the next 6 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

5

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Bead-milled microalgae; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of bead-milled microalgae	Dietary supplement: Bead-milled microalgae; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of bead-milled microalgae
Active Comparator: Non-bead-milled microalgae; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of non-bead-milled microalgae	Dietary supplement: Non-bead-milled microalgae; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of non-bead-milled microalgae
Active Comparator: Whey protein isolate; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of whey protein isolate	Dietary supplement: Whey protein isolate; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of whey protein isolate
Active Comparator: Soy Protein Isolate; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of soy protein isolate	Dietary supplement: Soy protein isolate; Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of soy protein isolate
Placebo Comparator: Maltodextrin; Consume a 400 mL drink containing maltodextrin matched for the energy content of 20 g protein	Dietary supplement: Maltodextrin (Placebo); Consume a 400 mL drink containing maltodextrin matched for the energy content of 20 g protein

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in metabolites found in plasma (plasma metabolomics)	Targeted metabolomics profiling of plasma will be conducted using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)	Baseline, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 minutes
Changes in metabolites found in urine (urinary metabolomics)	Targeted metabolomics profiling of urine will be conducted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)	Baseline and 300 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Appetite	The Appetite Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) questionnaire will be administered, with participants rating five appetite-related outcomes, i.e. desire to eat, hunger, fullness, satisfaction, and prospective food consumption. Each response will be measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale and scored from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicate a greater intensity of the outcomes being assessed, i.e. greater desire to eat, greater hunger, greater fullness, greater satisfaction, or a greater perceived amount of food that could be consumed.	Baseline, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National University of Singapore
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jung Eun Kim, Ph.D., R.D., National University of Singapore, Department of Food Science and Technology

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Williamson E, Monteyne AJ, Van der Heijden I, Abdelrahman DR, Murton AJ, Hankamer B, Stephens FB, Wall BT. Ingestion of 'whole cell' or 'split cell' Chlorella sp., Arthrospira sp., and milk protein show divergent postprandial plasma amino acid responses with similar postprandial blood glucose control in humans. Front Nutr. 2024 Nov 14;11:1487778. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1487778. eCollection 2024.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 19, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 25, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): August 28, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 28, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Metabolomics; Microalgae; Acute; Processing; Amino acid availability; Protein absorption
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Proteins; Food; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Food and Beverages; Plant Proteins, Dietary; Dietary Proteins; Plant Proteins; Soy Foods; Vegetable Products; Vegetables; maltodextrin; Soybean Proteins
• Other Study ID Numbers: S38; NUS-IRB-2026-444 (Other Identifier: National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board (NUS IRB))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Electronic copies of the data with identifiable participant information will be kept on NUS OneDrive with access limited only to A/P Kim Jung Eun and her research staff. All data will be de-identified prior to statistical analyses.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No