Algae protein, especially phycocyanin from spirulina, is showing great promise as a natural blue food dye. While blue pigments are extremely rare in nature, phycocyanin offers a vibrant blue hue making it a potential replacement for synthetic dyes like Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2, which are under increasing scrutiny due to health concerns. Many U.S. states are working to phase out these petroleum based colorants. Consumers, too, are demanding “clean labels” foods made with safe, natural, and recognizable ingredients.
Why Spirulina Is Special
Spirulina, a type of blue green algae, contains phycocyanin (PC) a bright blue protein. While PC is already used in some natural products like M&Ms, it hasn’t been widely adopted because it’s sensitive to heat during processing and light during storage. This makes it unstable and limits its use in many packaged foods.
To solve this problem, Professor Alireza Abbaspourrad and Qike Li, a Ph.D. student at Cornell University, developed a method to improve the stability and function of phycocyanin. They used a chemical treatment that breaks large, unstable PC molecules into smaller, uniform parts. These new components are better at forming emulsions mixtures that can hold color and carry nutrients more effectively in oil based foods.
How They Tested It
The team used Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), a powerful imaging technique, to study how the structure of the protein changed at the nanoscale. This helped them understand and prove that the modified phycocyanin had better properties for use in food.
This new form of PC is not just a colorant. It can also act as:
- An emulsifier (to mix oil and water)
- An antioxidant (to protect food from damage)
That means it could replace several artificial ingredients at once, making the food label even cleaner.
What’s Next?
While phycocyanin is still a bit more expensive than artificial dyes, its natural source and added health benefits make it a strong candidate for the future. The researchers are now planning to work with food companies to scale up production and bring it to the market.
As more people demand natural ingredients, innovations like this algae-based blue dye could change the food industry. With better stability, color, and function, phycocyanin could become a safer and smarter way to color our food without the risks of synthetic chemicals.
Reference: Li Q, Huang Q, Abbaspourrad A. Elucidating structure-functionality relationships of phycocyanin through size-exclusion chromatography coupled with in-line small-angle X-ray scattering. Food Hydrocoll. 2025:111798. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2025.111798
Date : 10 August 2025
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