Nanoencapsulation of Spirulina sp. LEB 18 microalgae biomass using electrospray technique and application in chocolate milk

• Published in: Food and bioproducts processing Vol. 148; pp. 491 - 506
• Main Authors: Rasia, Thays Arpino, da Silva Vaz, Bruna, Costa, Jorge Alberto Vieira, Morais, Michele Greque
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2024
• Subjects: Bioavailability; Food enrichment; Nanoencapsulation; Nutritional value; Sensory analysis; Thermal stability; Sensory analysis; Food enrichment; Bioavailability; Nutritional value; Nanoencapsulation; Thermal stability
• ISSN: 0960-3085
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fbp.2024.10.002

Chocolate powder is a widely consumed food, but it has a high sugar content. Spirulina microalgae contains high nutritional value and can be used to enrich foods. However, microalgae has strong sensory characteristics. To add it to food, it is necessary to hide these characteristics, such as through nanoencapsulation. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop nanospheres with Spirulina biomass by nanoencapsulation and apply them in chocolate milk. This nanospheres were produced through the electrospraying technique, with chitosan and Spirulina. The best parameters to produce nanospheres were a polymeric solution with 0.50 % chitosan, electric potential of 24 kV, and capillary diameter of 0.70 mm. These resulted in more uniform nanoparticles without the presence of a residual solvent. Nanospheres with Spirulina sp. LEB 18 are stable up to approximately 200 °C. Chocolate milk containing nanospheres with Spirulina was formulated to contain 5 % Spirulina, which increased the protein content by 16.3 %, lipids by 88.9 % and ash by 33.9 % in this food compared to the control. It received an average score of 6.9 in the sensory analysis and had a public acceptance rate of 76.3 %. By incorporating 300 mL of chocolate milk containing nanospheres with Spirulina into school meals, children up to 5 years old (weighing approximately 18 kg) meet their daily protein requirement in a single serving.
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•Chitosan as an edible biopolymer to nanoencapsulate Spirulina biomass.•Nanoencapsulation of microalgae biomass to develop nanospheres with Spirulina.•Nanoencapsulation of Spirulina biomass hide sensory characteristics of microalgae.•Nanospheres with Spirulina sp. LEB 18 biomass resistant to high temperatures.•Nanospheres with Spirulina sp. LEB 18 to increase the nutritional value of foods.