A new spherification of
Spirulina (
Arthrospira platensis) was developed for its use as a food supplement. The novelty of this study is the incorporation of fresh
Spirulina biomass into alginate spheres formulated with 3% sodium alginate and 1.5% calcium lactate and
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A new spherification of
Spirulina (
Arthrospira platensis) was developed for its use as a food supplement. The novelty of this study is the incorporation of fresh
Spirulina biomass into alginate spheres formulated with 3% sodium alginate and 1.5% calcium lactate and its addition into yogurt. The spheres and the fortified yogurt were stored at 4 °C for 15 days. The viability of
Spirulina, either in contact with the yogurt or not, was evaluated both by OD
550nm measurements and microscopic observations. Furthermore, the effect of
Spirulina spheres on
Streptococcus thermophilus and
Lactobacillus bulgaricus was evaluated by enumerating them in standard media.
Spirulina retained its viability for up to 15 days when stored separately from the yogurt matrix.
Spirulina had a stimulating effect on the lactic acid bacteria: after 15 days,
L. bulgaricus and
S. thermophilus showed a load increase of 2.66% and 1.64%, respectively, compared to the load detected in the unfortified yogurt. Our study has demonstrated the technical feasibility of producing fresh
Spirulina spheres, which can be used alone or added to food preparation. Nevertheless, additional investigations—including quantitative assessment of bioactive compounds and comprehensive sensory analysis—are essential to validate the methodology and support its scalability.
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