Development of functional pasta with microencapsulated Spirulina: technological and sensorial effects

Abstract

BACKGROUND Spirulina microalgae have been added to food; however, there have been few reports on the methods used to protect the antioxidant potential against process conditions, and the effects on the sensory characteristics of products need to be better described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence on the technological properties, sensory profile, and acceptability of the pasta with free or microencapsulated Spirulina biomass added. Pasta formulations included: free Spirulina (FSP), microencapsulated Spirulina (MSP), and empty microspheres (EMP), which were compared with the control pasta (CP). RESULTS The microencapsulation protected the antioxidant potential of Spirulina in 37.8% of the pasta cooking conditions. The microspheres presented low solubility in water (86 g.kg−1) and high encapsulation efficiency (87.6%), this being appropriate for addition to products that need cooking in water. The technological properties of pasta (water absorption, weight gain, firmness, and adhesiveness) were affected, but the overall acceptability index (85.13%) was not influenced by the addition of microspheres, despite changes observed in the sensory profile obtained by the CATA (check‐all‐that‐apply). CONCLUSIONS Spirulina could be added to pasta even without microencapsulation but the microencapsulation in alginate allows for the protection of the antioxidant potential of the biomass, representing a potential alternative for the bakery industry. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Carotenoids and Chlorophylls as Antioxidants

“…The authors reported that higher amounts of microalgae increased the antioxidant capacity measured via the DPPH method. Accordingly, pasta enriched with microencapsulated Spirulina increased the antioxidant potential after cooking [ 178 ]. Using a different method, namely the peroxyl-radical-scavenging assay, the chlorophyll fraction in Phormidium autumnale was found to be responsible for a high antioxidant activity, around 200 times more potent than α-tocopherol [ 171 ].…”

Spirulina platensis Protein as Sustainable Ingredient for Nutritional Food Products Development

“…These behaviors have been previously reported in pasta and crostini bread fortified with spirulina biomass as a protein source. In the pasta, the L* value reduced from 62.83 to 30.72, while a* and b* values ranged from 1.14-16.40 to −8.55-6.00, respectively [80]. Similar findings for crostini are reported, L* (69 to 26) a* (0.7-0.3), b* (16-1.2), and chroma (16-1.2) values decreased, and the hue ( • ) values were found in a range of 77-87 [69].…”

Nutritional and Technological Quality of High Protein Pasta

“…The investigation was mainly focused on the acceptance of consumers of spirulina, and it emerged that its taste is accepted only in small amounts. Another recent study [26] used spirulina encapsulated in alginate microcapsules in the production of fresh pasta prepared with wheat flour. Encapsulation partially protects spirulina from the loss of its antioxidant potential, and the pasta presented green dots of a non-uniform color on the surface, which did not negatively influence the consumer's judgement.…”