Measurement of Acute Metabolite Changes Following Consumption of Microalgae Drinks

NCT07791420 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: S38NUS-IRB-2026-444
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Protein Absorption and Amino Acid Availability; Metabolomics

Keywords

Protein absorption; Amino acid availability; Metabolomics; Processing; Microalgae; Acute

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• 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 Outcomes (1)

• Appetite

  Baseline, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 minutes

Study Arms (5)

Bead-milled microalgae

EXPERIMENTAL

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of bead-milled microalgae

Dietary Supplement: Bead-milled microalgae

Non-bead-milled microalgae

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of non-bead-milled microalgae

Dietary Supplement: Non-bead-milled microalgae

Whey protein isolate

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of whey protein isolate

Dietary Supplement: Whey protein isolate

Soy Protein Isolate

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of soy protein isolate

Dietary Supplement: Soy protein isolate

Maltodextrin

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Consume a 400 mL drink containing maltodextrin matched for the energy content of 20 g protein

Dietary Supplement: Maltodextrin (Placebo)

Interventions

Bead-milled microalgae DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of bead-milled microalgae

Bead-milled microalgae

Non-bead-milled microalgae DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of non-bead-milled microalgae

Non-bead-milled microalgae

Whey protein isolate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of whey protein isolate

Whey protein isolate

Soy protein isolate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Consume a 400 mL drink containing 20 g protein equivalent of soy protein isolate

Soy Protein Isolate

Maltodextrin (Placebo) DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Consume a 400 mL drink containing maltodextrin matched for the energy content of 20 g protein

Maltodextrin

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• 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)

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National University of Singapore: lead

Study Sites (1)

NUS, Department of Food Science and Technology, 1 Science Drive 3, Block S13, #03-07, Singapore, 117550

Singapore, Singapore

Location

Related Publications (1)

• 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.

  PMID: 39610880 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Soybean Proteins; maltodextrin

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Plant Proteins; Proteins; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Plant Proteins, Dietary; Dietary Proteins; Food; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Soy Foods; Vegetable Products; Vegetables; Food and Beverages

Study Officials

• Jung Eun Kim, Ph.D., R.D.

  National University of Singapore, Department of Food Science and Technology

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Marven Ng, B.Sc.

CONTACT

(+65) 8816 9977; ngmarven@u.nus.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 19, 2026
• First Posted: August 28, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Last Updated: August 28, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SG (1)