Development of extruded snacks enriched by bioactive peptides from microalga Spirulina sp. LEB 18

The development of products with the addition of bioactive peptides from Spirulina is highly attractive due to its protein and antioxidant potential. Therefore, non-hydrolyzed, hydrolysate, and peptide fractions were compared regarding antioxidant potential and thermal stability. They were also used for snack production and evaluated regarding physical analysis and antioxidant activity compared to control assay (only corn grits). When added to snacks, the < 4 kDa peptide fraction enhanced four times the ABTS(+) inhibition (7.45 mu mol TEAC/g), and the > 4 kDa fraction increased three times the reducing power (12.09 mu mol Trolox/g) compared with control. The addition of < 4 kDa peptide fraction resulted in snacks with lower differences in the total color (Delta E), increased hardness, and fracturability parameters. In this way, the addition of 2% bioactive peptides from Spirulina in extruded snacks can be considered a highly viable alternative for a natural ingredient for extruded foods.

Automated summary

The study focused on the development of products with bioactive peptides from Spirulina, showing their potential in enhancing antioxidant activity and physical properties when added to snacks, thus indicating a viable natural alternative for improving the quality of extruded foods.