Optimization and Characterization of Spirulina and Chlorella Hydrolysates for Industrial Application

Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2024 Mar;196(3):1255-1271. doi: 10.1007/s12010-023-04596-6. Epub 2023 Jun 29.

Abstract

Chlorella and Spirulina are the most used microalgae mainly as powder, tablets, or capsules. However, the recent change in lifestyle of modern society encouraged the emergence of liquid food supplements. The current work evaluated the efficiency of several hydrolysis methods (ultrasound-assisted hydrolysis UAH, acid hydrolysis AH, autoclave-assisted hydrolysis AAH, and enzymatic hydrolysis EH) in order to develop liquid dietary supplements from Chlorella and Spirulina biomasses. Results showed that, EH gave the highest proteins content (78% and 31% for Spirulina and Chlorella, respectively) and also increased pigments content (4.5 mg/mL of phycocyanin and 12 µg/mL of carotenoids). Hydrolysates obtained with EH showed the highest scavenging activity (95-91%), allowing us, with the other above features, to propose this method as convenient for liquid food supplements development. Nevertheless, it has been shown that the choice of hydrolysis method depended on the vocation of the product to be prepared.

Keywords: Acid; Autoclave; Cellulase; Chlorella sp; Hydrolysis efficiency; Liquid food; Spirulina sp; Ultrasound.

MeSH terms

  • Carotenoids / metabolism
  • Chlorella* / metabolism
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Microalgae* / metabolism
  • Phycocyanin
  • Spirulina* / metabolism

Substances

  • Carotenoids
  • Phycocyanin