Flocculation is a physical process by which small bubbles suspended in a fluid coalesce to form aggregates. It has long been used in wastewater treatment and even longer in beer and cheese production.

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One of the first references to what is now referred to as ‘Biofloc’ might be traced back to an article entitled “Food Bubbles” that appeared in a November 1964 issue of the Scientific American magazine.  It introduced what previously was an unappreciated path in marine food web, wave generated bubbles that stimulated formation of organic-rich aggregates.  The article stated: “……. molecules from the vast supply of organic chemicals dissolved in seawater adhere in large numbers to the ‘air bubbles’ two-dimensional boundary layers. They form clumps of organic material that are eaten by the smallest members of the marine animal population. “It was pointed out that the quantity of organic matter in the oceans is at least 50 times greater than contained in all living plankton.”