Improvement of Thermal Stability of C-Phycocyanin by Nanofiber and Preservative Agents

Abstract

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a natural blue dye whose uses for different purposes have been described in the literature. Interest in C-PC has increased due to its nutritional and nutraceutical properties that have been exploited for the preparation of food supplements and healthy foods. The goal of this study was to determine the stability of C-PC incorporated into a nanofiber, by obtaining its degradation rate constant (Kd) and half-life (t1/2), as well as to evaluate the role of stabilizing agents. Both C-PC in solution and C-PC after being incorporated into nanofibers were subjected to different temperatures (55–75C) and the Kd and t1/2 values were determined for this phycobiliprotein. At 60C, the highest values of t1/2 were obtained when C-PC was incorporated into nanofibers and when sorbitol and glucose were added as preservative agents. Practical Applications Nanotechnology has been occupying more and more space in the research related to bioproducts. However, there are few studies that evaluate in practice how this technology can help us as innovative industrial processes. This article presents important responses to the thermal stability of a bioproduct with high added value, C-phycocyanin, and large potecial. Therefore, it is of extreme interest the publication of results in journals of great repute in the area such as the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation.