Downstream processing of freshly harvested wet biomass of Spirulina and its application in new product preparation.

Vishnu Shankar, Pandey (2014) Downstream processing of freshly harvested wet biomass of Spirulina and its application in new product preparation. [Student Project Report] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Spirulina, a blue green alga, is recognised worldwide for its nutritional benefits. Spirulina is grown in large scale in various countries and is marketed in the form of dry powder, tablets and capsules. The dry powder of Spirulina has a low customer acceptance due to its very offensive peculiar odour which also limits the opportunity to use it as a food ingredient. The freshly harvested wet biomass of Spirulina does not have any peculiar odour and hence could be used widely in food products. Use of fresh biomass also reduces the cost associated with drying. However, the usage of freshly harvested biomass is almost nonexistent mainly due to the problems associated with its preservation and stabilisation as the biomass starts deteriorating within a few hours of its harvesting. Therefore, the present study makes an attempt towards stabilisation and preservation of freshly harvested wet biomass of Spirulina. Various food preservatives and thermal treatments, either independently or synergistically, were evaluated to preserve and stabilise the freshly harvested wet biomass. The treatment with Citric acid (1%) + Acetic acid (20%) was found to be most effective, preserving and stabilizing the wet biomass of Spirulina at room temperature for 7-15 days. Spirulina has been reported to have growth promoting effect on probiotic bacteria. However, probiotic products containing Spirulina are not available in market. Also, the studies reporting beneficial effects of Spirulina on probiotic bacteria have all been carried out with dry powder. Therefore, in the present study an attempt is made to develop a new probiotic product based on freshly harvested wet biomass of Spirulina. The product developed in the present study, “Spirulina enriched probiotic milk”, was found to contain higher number of lactic acid bacteria compared to control. The product also showed about 50% higher protein content than control. The product also exhibited a satisfactory level of sensorial acceptance and preference which can be improved with further standardization of the product preparation process. The present study thus paves way for the utilization of freshly harvested wet biomass of Spirulina by its preservation and stabilization and also demonstrates that freshly harvested wet biomass of Spirulina could be used successfully to develop probiotic products with added nutritional benefits.

Item Type:	Student Project Report
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Spirulina, blue green alga, probiotic products
Subjects:	500 Natural Sciences and Mathematics > 08 Botanical sciences > 01 Botany > 01 Algae 600 Technology > 08 Food technology > 18 Processed foods
Divisions:	Plant Cell Biotechnology
Depositing User:	Food Sci. & Technol. Information Services
Date Deposited:	29 Jun 2015 05:53
Last Modified:	29 Jun 2015 05:53
URI:	http://ir.cftri.res.in/id/eprint/11912

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