The application of a phycocyanin extract obtained from Arthrospira platensis as a blue natural colorant in beverages

Abstract

Currently, the food additive industry has interest in replacing artificial dyes with natural pigments, trying to maintain consumer interest and increase their awareness towards healthy diets. Phycobiliproteins are light-harvesting and water-soluble proteins extracted from cyanobacteria and red algae that can be employed as natural additives. In the present work, a C-phycocyanin extract from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis was tested as blue colorant in beverages to demonstrate that samples containing the protein extract have a color similar to marketed beverages containing synthetic dyes. Using spectroscopy and colorimetry, the extract was characterized and gave evidence of having good properties and good stability in the pH range between 3.0 and 9.0. The staining factors, representing the amount of blue protein needed to reproduce the color of bluish commercial samples, ranged between 15.6 and 111.7 mg·L−1, being sufficiently low in all samples. Additionally, color stability during a short period of cold storage was studied: it demonstrated that isotonic and tonic beverages remained stable throughout the 11-days analysis period with no significant changes. These results prove that the C-phycocyanin extract has potential applications in food as natural colorant, being an alternative option to synthetic coloring molecules.

Protein c-phycocyanin, structure, physicochemical and biological properties, methods of extraction

“…Lightharvesting complexes are composed of proteins, which bind pigments (chlorophylls, bilins or carotenoids) in specific positions [11,12]. Photosynthetic pigments in cyanobacteria are divided into two classes: water-soluble proteins, which are named phycobiliproteins, and carotenoids and chlorophyll that are insoluble in water and have small molecular mass [2,12]. There are four types of phycobiliproteins.…”

Arthrospira platensis Mutagenesis for Protein and C-Phycocyanin Improvement and Proteomics Approaches

“…In cyanobacteria, rhodophyta, cryptomonads and cyanell phycobiliproteins are light-harvesting pigment-protein complexes [6] composed of 40-60% of the total soluble protein in cells and found on the outer surface of the thylakoid membrane [7]. Phycobiliproteins are classified into three classes based on their protein structure and absorption spectra as C-phycocyanin (C-PC), allophycocyanin (APC) and phycoerythrin (PE) [8][9][10]. The primary group of phycobiliproteins is C-PC, which is commercially generated in photoautotrophic open raceway pond cultivation of the Arthrospira platensis cyanobacterium [2,11].…”

Using Laminar Nanoclays for Phycocyanin and Phycoerythrin Stabilization as New Natural Hybrid Pigments from Microalgae Extraction

“…The PC food grade is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) food and employed as a dye in food product formulations, and also in cosmetics, alcoholic beverages, biotechnology and medicine (drugs) [3]. In this context, PC has been mainly studied as a natural colorant for dairy products, yogurts and other beverages [4][5][6][7][8][9]. However, the application of this pigment-protein complex compound is limited, mostly due to its lack of stability to heat, light and acidic conditions.…”

“…TSR (%) Values from the PC and PE hybrid pigments under different conditions[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…ANOVA analysis for the interlaminar space d(001)nm response from the hybrid pigments with PC and PE under different synthesis conditions[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”