Spirulina the super food; regulation of foul-fishy smell

Abstract

Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is a concentrated source of nutrients, which can be used as an additional food supplement for immediate and long-term health. It provides complete nutrition to the body. The “fishy” or “seaweed” smell of Spirulina is one of its organoleptic characteristics which are a concern for taste. The odour of Spirulina is due to the presence of a phyto-nutrient, Polyamines. These are the molecules that give Spirulina its characteristic smell. The smell can be masked by using a special treatment, but by doing so, the essential nutrients are being removed. It is against the Food & Drugs act and also against the organic standards. Wewant to provide quality product to our customers that meets all the organic and health standards. Currently there is no way to alter the foul-fishy smell of Spirulina during growth. Spirulina tablet can be coated to mask the order hence this is the widely accepted formulation all over the word. Manufacturers attempted to modify the smell, either through masking, encapsulation, or modifying the production process. But that also means more production cost, and possible modification of the organic form of Spirulina. Just like fermented food, smell & taste can be acquired. Anjana Kaveri B. (2015) used the coating of Spirulina with chitosan by spray drying for masking the odour (http://ir.cftri.com/ 11920/). Super Crop Safe, as our name suggest, prefers to explore natural ways of minimising possible unpleasantness in consuming Spirulina.