Bioactive-Enriched Spirulina Protein Isolate: Scale-Up for Symbiotic Beetroot Drinks
Abstract
Spirulina platensis (Arthrospira platensis), a GRAS-approved superfood providing 60-70% high-quality protein and bioactives like phycocyanin, β-carotene, and polysaccharides, addresses India's protein malnutrition crisis (20% child prevalence per NFHS-5) but faces sensory and solubility challenges for beverage use. This study optimized spirulina protein isolate (SPI, 68.2% purity) production using response surface methodology (RSM) with high-pressure homogenization pretreatment, alkaline extraction (pH 11.38, 5.2:1 biomass:water, 35 min), and freeze-drying from NBRI 1023 strain cultivated in modified Zarrouk's/Paoletti's media yielding 2.58-2.71 g/L biomass (0.129-0.136 g/L/day). Biomass harvested via centrifugation (96.2% recovery) produced SPI with superior functionality: 65.1% solubility at pH 7, emulsifying activity index 52.3 m²/g, foaming capacity 142% (75% 30-min stability), water/oil holding capacities 2.84/1.92 g/g, thermal stability (TGA onset 223°C, DSC peak 285°C), and native structure (FTIR amide I/II 1652/1541 cm⁻¹). Bioactives enriched 2.8-fold: DPPH IC₅₀ 92 µg/mL, TPC 22.4 mg GAE/g, phycocyanin 142.3 mg/g (purity ratio 2.84). RSM model (R²=0.9674, desirability 0.89) and 20 L photobioreactor scale-up (98.5% efficiency, 2.61 g/L/day) validate industrial SPI production for fortifying beetroot probiotic drinks, targeting 10⁹ CFU/mL viability, 89.6% digestibility, and sensory scores 7.9 while leveraging Haryana's 2.1 Mt/year beetroot supply
How to Cite
Taruna, Neeraj Sethi, "Bioactive-Enriched Spirulina Protein Isolate: Scale-Up for Symbiotic Beetroot Drinks", Vol. 3, Issue 5, 13-08-2025, pp. 46-73.
