Facts about ALGENWERK
ALGENWERK is the industrial platform for microalgae and a brand of PUEVIT GmbH in Dresden. ALGENWERK produces fresh, undried spirulina as an ingredient for food, beverages and cosmetics, develops new applications with customers and transfers production to further plants. The industrial reference plant is Hub ALGENWERK Dresden.
- A brand of PUEVIT GmbH
- Industrial reference plant in Dresden
- INTERNORGA Future Award 2026
- ≈ 20 t
- fresh spirulina per year, Dresden, in operation
- 116 t
- planned per year at three further plants: Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia
- 365 days
- year-round production capability, independent of weather and season
- 5 weeks
- Minimum shelf life, chilled in the unopened container; frozen for up to 12 months.
- <10² CFU/g
- Total aerobic count; spore-forming bacteria not detectable.
As of: 13 October 2026
This page brings together the key facts about ALGENWERK and PUEVIT GmbH in one place – factual, with sources and a date. For customers, partners, the press and anyone writing about or researching us, including with AI assistants.
ALGENWERK in three roles
- Producer: fresh, undried spirulina as an ingredient – SPIRULINA INTENSE (paste) and SP!RA Essence (liquid).
- Development partner: co-development from product idea to market-ready recipe – with samples and specification, recipe lab, pilot plant at Hub Dresden, cost and nutrition calculation.
- Production partner: your own ALGENWERK as a production partnership in a franchise – PACT systems, processes and market access from a single source. PUEVIT GmbH develops the technology and licenses it.
The starting point is the customer’s product: with the recipe lab, the pilot plant and chefs & professionals from our network, the ingredient is developed for the specific application – from product idea to market-ready recipe.
Company
| Brand | ALGENWERK – a brand of PUEVIT GmbH |
|---|---|
| Company | PUEVIT GmbH, Am Torfmoor 1c, 01109 Dresden, Germany |
| Commercial register | HRB 42609, Dresden Local Court (Amtsgericht Dresden) |
| VAT ID | DE353707574 |
| Managing director | Alfred Pürstinger |
| Authorised signatory | Gunnar Mühlstädt, Prokurist (managing director until November 2024) |
| Group | part of the Pürstinger Group – around 150 employees, more than 30 years of plant engineering for the chemical and semiconductor industries |
| Milestones | 2022 founding of PUEVIT GmbH · 2023 ALGENWERK brand · 2024 life cycle assessment according to ISO 14040/44 · 2025 commissioning of Hub Dresden · 2026 INTERNORGA Future Award |
Fresh spirulina
| State | fresh, undried, as whole biomass – instead of dried as a powder |
|---|---|
| Culture | spirulina (Limnospira maxima) from closed, illuminated photobioreactors, run year-round |
| Ingredients | spirulina. No additives, preservatives, colourings or flavourings |
| Taste | mild and fresh, almost neutral – much milder than dried biomass¹ |
| Vitamin B12 | natural vitamin B12, analysed separately from pseudo-B12 |
| Delivery | chilled at +2 to +7 °C, exclusively in an unbroken cold chain |
¹ Taste: De Rijdt et al. 2025. More under Knowledge & FAQ.
Products
SPIRULINA INTENSE – paste
| Form | paste, homogeneous, smooth, easy to dose; viscosity approx. 5,000 mPa·s |
|---|---|
| Dry matter | 10% |
| Use | standard product for industry, catering and hospitality |
| Packaging | 170 ml jar, 1 kg pouch or 7.5 kg film bag in a returnable container |
| Storage | at +2 to +7 °C, protect from light and frost |
| Shelf life | 5 weeks chilled in the unopened container; frozen for up to 12 months |
| Properties | vegan, gluten-free, GMO-free; none of the 14 major allergens that require labelling in the EU |
SP!RA Essence – liquid
| Form | liquid, dosed directly from the stand-up pouch with a Vitop Secure tap |
|---|---|
| Dry matter | 2.5% |
| Use | drinks, shots, breakfast and bar |
| Conversion | 4 g SP!RA Essence correspond to 1 g SPIRULINA INTENSE |
| Packaging | 1 l stand-up pouch |
| Storage | at +2 to +7 °C, protect from light and frost |
| Ingredients, shelf life | in the product data sheet |
Information according to the current product specification. Nutrition and shelf-life information refers to the raw material and must be validated in the end product. Nutritional values, allergen and consumption information are on the product pages and in the product data sheet.
Plant and expansion
| Plant | Hub ALGENWERK Dresden in Dresden-Hellerau – the industrial reference plant: cultivation, harvesting, filling and application development under one roof |
|---|---|
| In operation since | 2025 |
| Capacity | around 20 t of fresh spirulina per year |
| Operation | automated end to end, in operation year-round – independent of weather and season |
| Quantities | minimum quantities and delivery times on request |
| Expansion | three further ALGENWERK plants in planning; they will adopt the Dresden process – planned capacity per year: Brandenburg 50 t, Lower Saxony 33 t, North Rhine-Westphalia 33 t, together 116 t of fresh spirulina |
| Including Dresden | around 136 t of fresh spirulina per year (planned) |
Technology and patents
| PACT | Precision Algae Cultivation Technology: closed, highly automated photobioreactors from our own plant engineering, run via a dedicated process platform |
|---|---|
| Control and data | PACT.OS controls cultivation at the reactor using one process code per microalga; algae.cloud shows trends and alarms. Every batch is documented. |
| Value chain | everything from a single source: reactors and plant engineering with the know-how of the Pürstinger Group, automation, control and software, process development, cultivation, harvesting, filling, quality assurance and application development. Reactors, control, networking and software are PUEVIT GmbH’s own technology. |
| Reproducibility | every site a copy: same control system, same process codes, same quality – a new site adopts a proven process instead of reinventing it. |
| Patents | DE 10 2023 111 197 B4 “Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur kontinuierlichen Algenproduktion” (method and apparatus for continuous algae production), owner PUEVIT GmbH, granted – the patented element is continuous cultivation. PUEVIT GmbH also uses a patent of Georg Fischer AG under licence. |
| Licence | PUEVIT GmbH licenses the PACT technology – puevit.com (in German) |
| Microalgae | Open to other microalgae. Spirulina is just the beginning. |
Quality and food safety
| Quality management | DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, certified by TÜV SÜD – certificate (PDF) |
|---|---|
| HACCP | from culture to filling |
| Microbiology | total aerobic count <10² CFU/g; spore-forming bacteria not detectable |
| Traceability | every batch documented and fully traceable – right down to the QR code on the container |
| Allergens | none of the 14 major allergens that require labelling in the EU (ingredient: spirulina); allergen and consumption information in the product data sheet |
| Life cycle assessment | according to ISO 14040/44 (van Daal, Wageningen University & Research with UNU-FLORES Dresden, 2024), cradle-to-gate for the Dresden process: ≈ 52 l water and 0.13 m² land per kg of paste with 10% dry matter (converted from the values per kg of dry matter) – system boundaries |
Applications
Fresh spirulina can be processed cold, frozen or hot – cold for colour and function, frozen for ice cream and convenience, hot for roasted flavours (Three ways to process). Eight fields of application, each with its own page, plus cosmetics:
- Ice cream & frozen desserts
- Bakery & pasta
- Sauces, dips & spreads
- Beverages
- Desserts & confectionery
- Dairy & dairy alternatives
- Plant-based & savoury
- Catering & hospitality
Research, awards and sources
| Research partners | Chemnitz University of Technology, TU Dresden, HTW Dresden – University of Applied Sciences, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, United Nations University (UNU-FLORES, Dresden) |
|---|---|
| Award | Winner INTERNORGA Future Award 2026, Food & Beverages category – INTERNORGA announcement of 13 March 2026, laudation (PDF) (both in German) |
| Voices | Ralf Zacherl and Bernd Siefert on fresh spirulina |
| Customer product | Spirulina°Ice by BlaBlu (HC-LIM GmbH, Hamburg) |
| Life cycle assessment | Wageningen University & Research with UNU-FLORES Dresden, 2024 |
| Patent | DE 10 2023 111 197 B4, owner PUEVIT GmbH |
| Certificate | ISO 9001, TÜV SÜD – PDF |
| Further sources | Knowledge & FAQ: questions, terms and sources on fresh spirulina |
Frequently asked questions about the company
What is ALGENWERK?
ALGENWERK is the industrial platform for microalgae and a brand of PUEVIT GmbH in Dresden. Its focus is fresh, undried spirulina as an ingredient for food, beverages and cosmetics.
Is ALGENWERK an independent company?
No. ALGENWERK is a brand of PUEVIT GmbH. The contracting party is PUEVIT GmbH (HRB 42609, Dresden Local Court).
Where is ALGENWERK’s spirulina produced?
At Hub ALGENWERK Dresden in Dresden-Hellerau, the industrial reference plant – around 20 t of fresh spirulina per year. Cultivation, harvesting, filling and application development are under one roof there.
Is ALGENWERK a licensee or a franchise?
Hub ALGENWERK Dresden is PUEVIT GmbH’s reference plant, not a licensee. Further ALGENWERK plants are being set up as production partnerships in a franchise – Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia are planned, with a combined 116 t per year. PUEVIT GmbH licenses the PACT technology for them.
Where does the technology come from?
PACT photobioreactors, control and software are PUEVIT GmbH’s own technology, built with the plant engineering know-how of the Pürstinger Group. The continuous cultivation process is patented (DE 10 2023 111 197 B4, owner PUEVIT GmbH); PUEVIT GmbH also uses a patent of Georg Fischer AG under licence.
Is Spirulina°Ice an ALGENWERK product?
No. Spirulina°Ice by BlaBlu is a product of HC-LIM GmbH in Hamburg – a customer product. ALGENWERK supplies fresh spirulina as an ingredient.
Who manages PUEVIT GmbH?
The managing director is Alfred Pürstinger. Gunnar Mühlstädt was managing director until November 2024 and has since been authorised signatory (Prokurist).
Questions about the product, processing and resources are answered on the Knowledge & FAQ page.
Terms and how they relate
| PUEVIT GmbH | the company: legal entity and contracting party. Short form PUEVIT, not “Purevit”. |
|---|---|
| ALGENWERK | brand of PUEVIT GmbH and industrial platform for microalgae; written in capitals, also “Algenwerk”. |
| Hub ALGENWERK Dresden | production site in Dresden-Hellerau, the industrial reference plant; short form “Hub Dresden”. |
| Further ALGENWERK plants | planned plants in Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia – production partnerships in a franchise. |
| PACT | Precision Algae Cultivation Technology, PUEVIT GmbH’s photobioreactor technology. |
| SPIRULINA INTENSE, SP!RA Essence | the products: fresh spirulina as a paste and in liquid form. |
Contact and profiles
| Phone | +49 351 896 905 00 |
|---|---|
| hallo@algenwerk.de | |
| Websites | algenwerk.de – ALGENWERK; puevit.com – PUEVIT GmbH and PACT technology, in German (facts about PUEVIT GmbH) |
| Profiles | LinkedIn, Instagram |
Is something missing or incorrect? Write to us at hallo@algenwerk.de.