Klebsormidium flaccidum var. ZL01
Spirulina is a bacterium.
Zivolife is a plant.
The only commercially cultivated Charophyte microalgae in the world. From the lineage that came ashore 500 million years ago and became every plant on Earth.
Try ZivolifeSpirulina is not in the same kingdom. It is not in the same domain.
01 · What it actually is
Blue-green algae is not algae.
Spirulina is Arthrospira platensis. A cyanobacterium. A prokaryote. No nucleus, no organelles, no plant biology of any kind. It evolved in water and it stayed there.
Zivolife is Klebsormidium flaccidum var. ZL01. A eukaryote. Kingdom Viridiplantae, which is the scientific name for green plants.
About 500 million years ago, one class of algae did something none of the others managed. It came ashore. Every tree, every leaf, every blade of grass alive today descends from that lineage. The Charophytes.
Zivolife is the only member of that class cultivated commercially anywhere on Earth. No generic version. No commodity source. No substitute. If you are not buying Zivolife, you are not getting this organism, because there is nowhere else to get it.
02 · The taste
You already know what spirulina tastes like.
That is usually where it ends. The tub gets pushed to the back of the cupboard around week three, and it stays there.
Zivolife is mild and neutral. It goes into water, a smoothie, coffee, whatever you are already drinking, and it does not announce itself. One 3g stick a day.
The habit you keep is the only one that counts.
03 · The part nobody advertises
Microcystins.
Cyanobacteria can produce cyanotoxins. Microcystins are the ones that matter, and they are why credible spirulina has to be tested for them lot by lot. The good brands do it. Not everyone does.
It is a real thing you have to think about when you buy spirulina, and most people never do.
Zivolife is not a cyanobacterium. It is not in the same domain of life. The question does not apply to us.
We test every single lot with Eurofins anyway. Heavy metals. Contaminants. Banned substances.
04 · The label
Turn the pack over.
Most microalgae products carry a Supplement Facts panel. Zivolife carries Nutrition Facts.
That is not a marketing decision. It is the FDA's classification, and it reflects what the product actually is. Supplement Facts is for isolated, concentrated or synthesized nutrients. Nutrition Facts is for food.
One ingredient. 100% Klebsormidium flaccidum var. ZL01. Nothing added, nothing extracted, nothing else.
Complete protein with all nine essential amino acids. Dietary fiber. Beta-glucans from the cell wall itself, not stirred in afterwards. Carotenoids including lutein and zeaxanthin. Polyphenols. Omega-3s. Vitamins A, E, K1 and B-complex. Iron and potassium. All of it occurring naturally in the organism. None of it added.
05 · The research
Research on spirulina, or research on this?
Spirulina has decades of published research behind it. Almost all of it studies spirulina in general, from whatever source, at whatever quality. Commodity research on a commodity organism.
Zivolife has research on this strain.
Working directly with ZL01 biomass, researchers identified bioactive compounds including hydroxylated fatty acids, chlorophyll-derived pheophorbides, carotenoids and glycoglycerolipids.
90-day toxicity study. No observed adverse effect level of 9.7g/kg/day. Non-mutagenic, non-genotoxic. Cyanotoxins not detected.
The predecessor culture from which ZL01 was isolated was the subject of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial. That study was conducted on the predecessor culture, not on ZL01 itself. It is the documented research lineage behind Zivolife rather than a promise about it.
U.S. patented · Sterile, controlled, single-origin cultivation
Questions
Before you switch.
Is Zivolife a type of spirulina?
No. Spirulina is a cyanobacterium, which is a bacterium. Zivolife is a Charophyte, which is a green plant. They are in different domains of life. They are less related to each other than you are to a mushroom.
Can I take Zivolife and spirulina together?
Yes. They are different organisms with different compound profiles.
Why have I never heard of Klebsormidium?
Because until recently nobody had worked out how to grow it. The microalgae category has meant two organisms for forty years. This is the third.
Is it a supplement?
No. It is a food, and it carries a Nutrition Facts panel because of it.
What does it taste like?
Zivolife has a mild neutral flavor. If you add any flavor to it, it takes on that flavor. Add it to smoothies, protein shakes, etc.
The category has not changed in forty years.
This is the first thing in it that is genuinely new.
Try ZivolifeSpirulina composition data: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central. Zivolife composition: Eurofins third-party analysis, AOAC and USP methods.