Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The consumption of foods functionalized with spirulina might have positive health effects. However, spirulinabased
food products are usually associated with unpleasant flavor and odor, and can present non-homogeneous
appearance, impairing consumers’ acceptance. Moreover, it is important to assure bioactivity maintenance. To
develop a novel food ingredient, spirulina was chemically characterized, and spray-dried using two encapsulating
materials: i) maltodextrin and ii) maltodextrin crosslinked with citric acid. Thereafter, free and
encapsulated spirulina were evaluated for their bioactive properties. Microencapsulated spirulina presented
higher thermal stability than the base materials, while showing better anti-inflammatory activity without exerting
cytotoxicity. Free and encapsulated spirulina were further added to yogurts to validate their suitability as
functionalizing agents. Yogurts added with encapsulated spirulina presented a more homogeneous appearance,
and the best solution was spirulina encapsulated in maltodextrin crosslinked with citric acid, considering the
nutritional profile, attractive color, and improved antioxidant activity throughout storage time.
Description
Keywords
Bioactivity Crosslinking Functional yogurts Microencapsulation Nutritional and chemical composition Spirulina platensis Spray drying
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Silva, Samara C.; Fernandes, Isabel P.; Barros, Lillian; Fernandes, Ângela; José Alves, Maria; Calhelha, Ricardo C.; Pereira, Carla; Barreira, João C.M.; Manrique, Yaidelin; Colla, E.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barreiro, M.F. (2019). Spray-dried Spirulina platensis as an effective ingredient to improve yogurt formulations: Testing different encapsulating solutions. Journal of Functional Foods. ISSN 1756-4646. 60, p. 1-13