Technological potential of spirulina and C-phycocyanin for application in food

Abstract

Spirulina microalgae, belonging to filamentous cyanobacteria, is found naturally in lakes or alkaline lagoons and can be cultivated on a large scale under controlled environmental conditions. Notably, Spirulina is very explored in the literature due to its high nutritional value and bioactive compounds, particularly natural pigments such as phycobiliproteins. Healthy eating habits have been a growing consumer demand, so the search for more natural foods with fewer synthetic additives has been exponential. Advances in ingredient engineering have been achieved from research on the interaction between the building blocks (ingredients) of the structures. Although some research has been conducted on the ingredient-structure-bioactivity axis, there is still a substantial lack of knowledge when aiming at optimized bioactive performance during digestion. Emulsions are a rational choice of ingredients and structures for the incorporation of different classes of bioactive compounds allowing for optimizing their performance. Thus, the current work's main aim is to evaluate the addition of the Spirulina biomass in low-fat oil-in-water food emulsion, using a salad dressing sauce as a model, with microalgae fortication to enhance their properties, especially their innovative color and appearance, producing a novel product for the current food market. The results would provide theoretical guidance for producing low-fat oil-in-water food emulsions. Besides, compare the biological quality of Spirulina from Brazil with biomass obtained in Portugal, relating the C-phycocyanin (C-PC) recovery percentage, antioxidant activity, application in food (using the salad dressing model), and bioaccessibility. Considering a long-term collaboration, the central premise will be a scientific understanding of how structure changes during digestion to develop innovative food systems that can meet the demands of health promotion and well-being associated with food products. (AU)