Colour stability and antioxidant activity of C-phycocyanin-added ice creams after in vitro digestion

• Published in: Food research international 2020-11, Vol.137, p.109602-109602, Article 109602
• Main Authors: Campos Assumpção de Amarante, Marina, Cavalcante Braga, Anna Rafaela, Sala, Luisa, Juliano Kalil, Susana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidants; Bioaccessibility; Biocolourant; Color; Colorimeter; Digestion; Ice Cream; Phycocyanin; Simulated digestion; Spirulina; Ultrafiltration
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109602

[Display omitted] •Food grade C-phycocyanin (C-PC) was added to milk-based ice creams;•Colour stability and antioxidant activity after in vitro digestion were evaluated;•The blue colour of the C-PC-added ice creams was stable during 182 d;•C-PC-ice cream showed higher antioxidant activity than the control after digestion. C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a protein with bioactive properties, which is found mainly in cyanobacteria and that is used as a natural food dye. Even though it is extensively studied, few authors have reported C-PC’s colour stability and antioxidant activity when applied to food matrices. Therefore, the aim of this research was to evaluate the colour stability over time and the antioxidant capacity of a food grade C-PC extract applied to milk-based ice creams. The C-PC-added ice creams showed insignificant colour loss during 182 d. Regarding antioxidant activity, the C-PC-added ice creams presented low ABTS●+ and peroxyl radicals scavenging capacities before in vitro simulated digestion. However, after in vitro digestion, the ice creams with C-PC extract addition showed antioxidant capacities of 134.63 ± 15.68 and 1425.19 ± 54.93 μmolTE.g−1 by the ORAC and ABTS methods, values 2- and 13-fold higher than the achieved by the controls, respectively. Thus, the results demonstrate that C-PC extract can be applied as a stable blue dye in ice creams and highlight the increased antioxidant activity of the C-PC-added products after in vitro simulated digestion, which can encourage the formulation of food products that attract consumers’ attention for both their colour and biological activities.