Valorisation de la spiruline en bonbons gélifiés

Abstract

The spirulina «Arthrospira platensis», is a microalgae or more precisely a cyanobacteria that grows in lagoons and lakes of tropical zones. It is characterized by a high nutritional value which makes it the ideal food compliment.Today spirulina is presented on the Algerian market as a superfood in powder or tablets form . However, spirulina has a very slight salty taste due to its mineral richness. The absence of a sweet taste makes it less noticeable by consumers and especially children. Hence the interest of proposing spirulina in the form of gummies. The first step was to produce A. platensis biomass in cylindrical photobioreactors with a lighting system consisting of two 70W lamps. Growth kinetics were determined and pigment content monitored for 15 days of cultivation. After each production cycle, the biomass was filtered and dried before being ground into powder. The second step began when we had reached the required quantity of biomass. In this step, we turned the spirulina biomass into a dietary supplement in the form of gummies, which we dubbed "SPIRUBON". In the final step, biochemical analyses of the biomass and gummies were carried out. At the same time, we submitted a questionnaire to potential customers to gather feedback on our dietary supplement . Our results show a volumetric productivity of the A. platensis culture equal to 146.02 mg MES/L/J. This result proves that the culture conditions applied are highly productive and that the culture medium used is effective. Biochemical analysis of A. platensis biomass and gummies revealed very interesting protein contents, with values of 65±3.1% and 50.3 ±5.7%, respectively. The information gathered from the questionnaire (which covers several aspects) will enable us to better understand customer needs and take steps to improve our finished product, in order to further satisfy potential consumers.