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Quality Assurance

E3Live USA, the harvesters and distributors of the highest-quality AFA products in the world, have provided us with the following information on their strict harvesting, testing, processing and bottling standards:

From the moment we harvest the AFA to its final packaging, we work with only the most highly trained and qualified staff. We handle our AFA with the utmost care from start to finish. Factors contributing to this quality include: where and how we harvest; keeping the AFA cold at all times; proprietary filtration methods and superior storage; and ongoing quality-control testing of all of our products. All E3 products are tested thoroughly by independent USDA certified labs for food safety, shelf-life and various other purity tests.

The benefits of AFA are directly related to the care and attention given to sourcing and harvesting the product. Our quality care begins with the selection of the freshest AFA "blooms" from pristine Eagle Ridge. E3Live is selectively gathered by expert harvesters, and collected from only the deepest, most pristine waters of Upper Klamath Lake. E3Live is harvested only at peak times of optimal growth, when the AFA is the heartiest, healthiest and most vibrant.

The harvesting is quickly followed by rapid chilling of the AFA to 34 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit in order to preserve its natural vitality and highest nutritional value. Next, our E3Live is further purified by careful centrifugation, leaving a product chilled and scrupulously clean. E3Live is handled more expeditiously from harvest to freezer than any competitive product. Our quality control parameters, coupled with our proprietary final processing, yields the Lake's most potent source of AFA.

Unless you know the source of your AFA, there is no guarantee of quality. E3Live and other E3 AFA products are harvested by the most competent harvesting team and staff of engineers in our industry.

Below is a more detailed description of E3Live's stringent collecting, bottling and testing processes:

An important step in our continual testing procedures is the detection of toxins.

Professor Fun Sun Chu, is a member and scientific associate of the Food Research Institute and Dept. of Food Microbiology and Toxicology, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Chu has worked more than 25 years with some of the most potent toxins known, and is recognized internationally for tests he has developed that allow scientists to detect extremely low levels of natural toxins in foods, plant and animal tissues, and environmental samples.

One test that Dr. Chu developed, which is conducted on every batch of algae that is harvested, is an antibody test, specifically a sensitive enzyme-linked immuno-absorbent assay (ELISA) test. Another test, high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) is also conducted on each batch of algae that is harvested.

Every batch of algae must fall BELOW the acceptable established limit, which is set by Oregon State and Federal Dept of Agriculture, and their respective food safety divisions. That limit is less than 1 part per million.

E3Live's Aphanizomenon flos-aquae products test as non-detectable or less than 1 part per million for toxin.

We have a certificate on file for every batch of algae that is processed and bottled.

We are frequently asked about water quality and testing that we do as a harvester of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae coming from Upper Klamath Lake located in Southern Oregon. Below is information to address these concerns.

The water quality of Klamath Lake is monitored by state and federal agencies including U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife. These results are a matter of public record.

As a harvester and supplier of AFA blue green algae, we monitor water quality throughout the year. First, we have access to test results from Federal and State agencies, and during our harvest season we perform heavy metals and pesticide residue tests on the water and in our products. We use standards and guidelines that are set for drinking water. This is done by approved independent laboratories specializing in food and water quality.

At our harvest site, we use all food grade equipment, and stainless steel cooling tanks.

During harvesting, we immediately chill the algae to preserve the chlorophyll and nutritional content. We immediately filter the algae to remove everything but the Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, thus ensuring a pure product.

This all takes place before we transport the algae to our land-based site for transport to the freezers.

Our AFA products are tested for standard food safety. We do aerobic plate counts checking for bacteria, and we also test for E.Coli, Coliforms, S. Aureus, Yeast and Molds, and Listeria. As with all food products, there are standard limits set by FDA and Dept. of Agriculture, which we must meet for basic food safety. We meet and exceed all of these standards.

We test for toxins of E3Live's Aphanizomenon flos-aquae products. The standard tests are Mycrocycstis, Anatoxin, Saxotoxin and Neurotoxin. The Dept. of Agriculture and the FDA have set allowable limits, and we must fall below these levels. We meet and exceed all of the limits.

Independent laboratories specializing in food safety and algal toxins perform both our basic food safety and our toxin testing. We work with the top experts in the world to ensure that we bring you only the best and purest AFA algae.

W. R. Beck
Distributor Services Manager
For E3Live