Analysis of the stability of phycocyanin when trehalose and citric acid are used as protectants in nutraceutical gelatin candies under in vitro digestion assays’

Abstract

Natural pigments are high value molecules for food industry as well as pharmacy, perceived as the best choice for today’s consumers given their origin and safety. However, its use is limited by its lability which hinders its application in products. In this work there was evaluated the stability of phycocyanin C in gelatin candies when added with trehalose and citric acid; the formulated candies were digested in synthetic gastric juice with pepsin. There were calculated predictive equations correlating the concentration of pigment as function of time, additives, and enzymatic presence. It was observed that phycocyanin can supports the gastric juice and pepsin when combined with trehalose for enough time to pass thru the digestive tract. It was concluded that the inclusion of trehalose in the formulation led to a longer stability of the pigment. Besides, it was determined that gelatin candies are a good vector to deliver phycocyanin C to the intestine.