Nutritional Quality and Safety of the Spirulina Dietary Supplements Sold on the Slovenian Market

Abstract

The microalgae Spirulina may be a popular dietary supplement rich in essential nutrients and vitamins, but oversight of the supplement industry, in general, remains limited, and increasing incidents of adulteration, misbranding, and undeclared ingredients together with misleading claims create potential risks. In response, this study characterized the elemental, amino acid and fatty acid content of commercially available Spirulina supplements in Slovenia using EDXRF, ICP-MS and GC-MS and compared the results with their nutritional declaration. The gathered data confirm that Spirulina supplements are a good source of calcium (0.15 to 29.5% of RDA), phosphorous (3.36–26.7% of RDA), potassium (0.5 to 7.69% of RDA) and selenium (0.01 to 38.6% of RDA) when consumed within recommended amounts. However, although iron contents were relatively high (7.64 to 316% of RDA), the actual bioavailability of iron was much lower since it was mainly present as the ferric cation. This study also confirms that pure Spirulina supplements are a good source of essential and non-essential amino acids, and ω-6 but not ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The presence of additives resulted in significant variation in nutrient content and, in some instances, lower product quality. Moreover, a high proportion (86.7%) of inappropriate declarations regarding the elemental content was observed. Overall, the study conclusions underline the need for a stricter control system for Spirulina-based supplements.

Correlation between chemical characteristics and optical spectra of Spirulina commercially available on the Bulgarian market

“…The concentrations of the elements in the samples vary depending on the producers. The obtained values for all five analyzed elements are in the concentration range of other Spirulina products described in the literature (3,(18)(19)(20)(21). Тhe following trend is observed: Mg > Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu.…”

“…Based on the cylindrical arrangement of the multicellular trichomes, there are two types of filamentous cyanobacteria: Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima and (Spirulina) platensis (2). Their main photosynthetic pigment is phycocyanin, which is blue in color (3), they also contain chlorophyll a, carotenoids and various pigments that can give them a red or pink color (4). Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis is a natural inhabitant of tropical lakes with alkaline waters (pH>11), these conditions restrict the growth of other microorganisms but allow its cultivation (5).…”

Microalgal bioactive metabolites as promising implements in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals: inspiring therapy for health benefits

“…Microalgae are usually considered as a valuable protein source as many species possess protein upto 70% dry weight and are nutritionally similar to proteins like egg and soybean (Amorim et al 2020 ) due to better digestibility and occurrence of essential amino acids. Species of Spirulina and Chlorella have approximately 60–70% protein (DW basis) with a good balance of essential amino acids required for human nutrition (Bleakley and Hayes 2017 ; Masten Rutar et al 2022 ). The free amino acid profile of Arthrospira sp., Haematococcus pluvialis, Acutodesmus acuminatus, Skeletonema costatum, and Botryococcus braunii w ere examined using reverse phase HPLC and it was found that Arthrospira sp.…”

The Perception of Consumers Towards Microalgae as an Alternative Food Resource in Bangladesh: A Contingent Valuation Approach

“…Results revealed that Spirulina is considered a healthy option by most of the participants. Rutar et al 10) showed that Spirulina-based food supplements would be reasonable when people choose a high protein, fatty acid, and amino acid content. Moreover, the statement "Spirulina absorbs CO2 for their growth and environment friendly" is positively scored by the consumers, approximately 91% for all responses.…”

“…Blue-green algae, Spirulina is a reasonably feasible resource of the high content of proteins (approximately 80%), vitamins, essential amino acids, minerals, and several high-value products 9,10) . Spirulina-based products are promoted and used in several countries, such as Japan, Germany, the USA, Italy, France, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Thailand, India, and so on 11) .…”