The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 61 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Microalgae as Functional Ingredients in Savory Food Products: Application to Wheat Crackers
Open accessAbstract
Crackers are widely consumed snack foods and there is an increasing trend in adding functional ingredients to their composition. In the present work, the dried biomasses of four microalgae strains—Arthrospira platensis F&M-C256, Chlorella vulgaris Allma, Tetraselmis suecica F&M-M33, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum F&M-M40—were used as a source of proteins, antioxidants, and other bioactive molecules in artisanal wheat crackers. Two incorporation levels were tested: 2% (w/w) and 6% (w/w). The impact of microalgae addition was evaluated in terms of physical properties, biochemical composition, antioxidant activity, in vitro digestibility, and sensory characteristics. Microalgae crackers presented stable color and texture throughout eight weeks of storage. Microalgae crackers were slightly thinner and lighter than the control but presented a similar density in agreement with scanning electron microscope images, indicating that gas retention was not greatly affected by microalgae addition. Regarding biochemical composition, 6% A. platensis and C. vulgaris crackers presented a significantly higher protein content (13.2–13.5%), for which they could be claimed to be a “source of protein” according to the Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006. A. platensis crackers showed the highest antioxidant activity and attained better sensory analysis scores. T. suecica and P. tricornutum crackers showed high phenolic content and antioxidant activity but attained low sensory scores mainly because of their unattractive fishy off-flavor.
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“On the other hand, research carried out by El Nakib et al. [34] demonstrated that the nutritional content of biscuits might be improved by adding certain percentages of spirulina to the foods that schoolchildren eat for snacks. The percentages tested were 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%. It also revealed an increase in fatty acids, such as omega-3, omega-6, omega-7, and omega-9, with omega-6 containing the”
From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [83]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The quantity of protein that could be digested in the treated samples was 11.9 g/100 g of biscuits. This proportion is much greater than the one found in the control sample, which had a protein content of 9.8% and a digestible protein content of 7.3 g/100 g of biscuits.”
From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [83]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“As a result, these additions are regarded as a source of protein, since the biscuit that was loaded with the spirulina alga A. platensis had the strongest antioxidant activity and received the highest score in the sensory evaluation [83].”
From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [83]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“In addition, Batista et al. [83] revealed that when estimating the amount of total phenols in biscuits enriched with spirulina algae, the addition of spirulina by 2% did not give any significant differences compared to the control sample, as the amount of phenols was 1.4 mg gallic acid/g, while the content of phenolics increased significantly to 1.6–1.7 mg gallic acid/g when spirulina was increa”
From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [83]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Numerous minerals, including potassium phosphate, potassium sulfate, sodium (sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium nitrate, and sodium chloride), phosphorous (potassium phosphate), calcium (calcium chloride), magnesium (hydrated magnesium sulfate), iron (ferrous sulfate hydrate), and EDTA, are required for the growth of spirulina and must be present in the culture medium [44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
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In the citing paper
“In order to carry out photosynthesis, the medium in which the algae is grown must have carbon. Because spirulina contains 47% of the carbon that is required for its growth, the medium in which it is grown has a very high concentration of sodium bicarbonate (10.8 g/L) and sodium carbonate (7.6 g/L) [44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Despite the fact that the spirulina medium has modest concentrations of iron (2 mg/L), it has a rather significant quantity of iron (0.58–1.8 g/kg) in its biomass [44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Batista et al. [83] were able to boost the protein availability in the biscuit samples by adding A. platensis as a high protein food source.”
From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [83]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“The incorporation of 6% each of spirulina and Chlorella resulted in significantly increased protein content (13.2–13.5%) [83].”
From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [83]
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In the citing paper
“At a temperature of 30 °C, it was observed that using urea as a source of nitrogen in spirulina made its absorption by the spirulina easier, which resulted in an increase in biomass, but had no effect on the chlorophyll content [14,44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“It was determined to be 0.78 g/L (based on dry weight), and after 40 h of cultivation, the growth rate increased to 0.82 g/L after sodium bicarbonate was added.”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“Growth variables such as light intensity, temperature, pH, and salinity can have a major influence on the lipid and pigment content in cells of spirulina, which determines the composition of nutrients in spirulina biomass and is dependent on these growing parameters [1,44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“At a pH range of 8.0–8.3, the biomass of Spirulina spp. that was grown in saltwater with urea was 7.35 g (dry weight)/m2/day. This was a lower value than the biomass of Spirulina spp. that was grown in seawater with sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), which was 8.14 g/m2/day [14,44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“It was found that the nitrogen content of 2.5 g/L was ideal for the medium, and that urea was a superior source of nitrogen to either ammonium or nitrate as a fertilizer ingredient.”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“increasing the phosphate concentration to 250 mg/L in the form of potassium phosphate K2HPO4 boosted the production of biomass [44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“Spirulina does not grow below 17 °C, but it does not perish above 38 °C. The optimal temperature for growth is 35 °C, but temperatures that are higher than 38 °C either prevent or disrupt its growth [1,44].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“After 21 days of batch cultivation (1.21 g/L), higher dry weights were reported for 20% of the regular Zarrouk medium compared to 0.84 g/L for the Zarrouk-modified medium.”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“The characteristics of the water quality contributed to the mass production of algae and had a double effect by affecting the solubility of added nutrients in the agricultural media and the accumulation of some heavy metals by the algae while they were in the growth stage. In addition, the water quality characteristics had an effect on the mass production of algae [44,45,46].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“Due to the high nutrient and salt requirements of spirulina, it can only be naturally cultivated in salt lakes [44,45,46].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“Spirulina has the ability to grow and adapt in environments with high salt, and it can be cultivated in salinities ranging from 10 to 40 psi without experiencing substantial changes in its biomass dry weight, chemical composition, or fatty acid levels [44,45,53].”
From Tendencies Affecting the Growth and Cultivation of Genus Spirulina: An Investigative Review on Current Trends (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Batista et al. [142] reported that cookies made with 2% (w/w) Arthrospira achieved positive results regarding their flavor.”
From Challenges in Functional Food Products with the Incorporation of Some Microalgae (2024) · cites this paper as [142]
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Citations
Cites
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Cited by
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Carotenoids and Chlorophylls as Antioxidants
Pérez-Gálvez, A., Viera, I., & Roca, M. (2020) · Antioxidants · doi:10.3390/antiox9060505 · Cited by 519
Spirulina for the Food and Functional Food Industries
Lafarga, T., Fernández-Sevilla, J. M., González-López, C., & Acién-Fernández, F. G. (2020) · Food Research International · doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109356 · Cited by 417
Microalgae as Sources of High-Quality Protein for Human Food and Protein Supplements
Wang, Y., Tibbetts, S. M., & McGinn, P. J. (2021) · Foods · doi:10.3390/foods10123002 · Cited by 360
Antioxidant Compounds from Microalgae: A Review
Coulombier, N., Jauffrais, T., & Lebouvier, N. (2021) · Marine Drugs · doi:10.3390/md19100549 · Cited by 291
The Potential and Challenge of Microalgae as Promising Future Food Sources
Chen, C., Tang, T., Shi, Q., Zhou, Z., & Fan, J. (2022) · Trends in Food Science & Technology · doi:10.1016/j.tifs.2022.06.016 · Cited by 229
Metadata
- Authors
- Batista, A. P., Niccolai, A., Bursic, I., Sousa, I., Raymundo, A., Rodolfi, L., Biondi, N., & Tredici, M. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Lisbon (PT)
- University of Florence (IT)
- LEAF—Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal
- Corresponding author
- Niccolai, Alberto
- ORCID
- Venue
- Foods
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2019-11-23
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 611
- ISSN
- 2304-8158 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6963871
- OpenAlex
- W2989853209
- Cited by
- 203
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 23 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 16
- FWCI
- 12.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Foods (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Florence Research (University of Florence) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (UID/AGR/04129/2013)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food Nutrient Composition and Product Development
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Seed and Plant Biochemistry
- Keywords
- microalgae, functional food ingredients, Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris, Tetraselmis suecica, Phaeodactylum tricornutum, protein content, antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds, in vitro digestibility, sensory evaluation, off-flavor, storage stability
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