Potential application of the encapsulated microalgae biomass as an innovative ingredient in gummy formulation

The increasing demand for natural product ingredients with health benefits has led to the incorporation of new ingredients into traditional confectionery industry formulations to develop healthier and more nutritious products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential application of three species of encapsulated microalgae, Porphyridium cruentum, Dunaliella salina, and Chlorella vulgaris, in gummy composition. The gummies were produced using five various addition levels of (0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, and 0.50 g/100 g) each alga. The samples were evaluated on the characteristics of moisture content, water activity (aw), pH, texture (hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience), color (L*, a*, b*, chroma, Hue angle), total carotenoid, and chlorophyll contents and color stability under accelerated shelf life conditions (25 degrees C/70% RH). The results showed that the various concentrations of microalgae added to the gummies had a significant effect on moisture content and aw values (p < 0.05). The texture profile analysis showed that except for cohesiveness and chewiness, higher concentrations of microalgae biomass significantly affected the texture profile (p < 0.05). The highest addition of microalgae resulted in increased total carotenoid and chlorophyll contents of gummies. In addition, various microalgae concentrate significantly affected the color parameters of gummy candies, and using higher concentrates decreased the L* value and increased the a* value of the samples. It is concluded that encapsulated microalgae have the potential to be used in gummy formulations to improve nutritional properties.