When you think of blue, you may think of the rough sea, see the tranquil blue sky, think of the Jiangnan scenery where “the sun rises and the flowers are as red as the fire, and when spring comes the river is as green as blue”, you may feel Han Yu’s “Where is the clouds across the Qinling Mountains?” The sadness of the hero losing his way is expressed in the “snow embraces the blue and the horse stops moving forward”… Blue is tranquil, melancholy, calm and elegant. Today we are going to popularize the blue color in nature –phycocyanin.
As we all know, the three primary colors in nature are red, yellow, and blue. Blue has been endowed with many meanings and is also the main force in blending various shades. Natural blue pigments are rare in nature. It is not easy to find a safe and reliable natural blue raw material that can be used in the food industry. The blue pigments currently allowed to be used in the “National Food Safety Standards” include brilliant blue, algae blue, gardenia blue, etc. Among them, brilliant blue and algal blue are relatively widely used.
Bright blue
Brilliant Blue, also known as Edible Cyan No. 1 and Edible Blue No. 2, is a water-soluble non-azo colorant. It is an organic compound with a molecular formula of C37H34N2Na2O9S3 and a relative molecular mass of 792.84. Brilliant blue is an edible blue pigment. It is a synthetic pigment and a water-soluble non-azo food additive. It is composed of benzaldehyde o-sulfonic acid and N-ethyl-N-(3-sulfobenzyl)-aniline. Produced by condensation and oxidation. It can be used as colorant in food, medicine, cosmetics and other industries. In the food industry, it is suitable for coloring cakes, candies, beverages, etc. Long-term and excessive intake may have adverse effects on the body. According to testing, the human body’s daily allowable intake is 0-12.5mg/kg. Excessive consumption may cause allergies, indigestion, lack of concentration, cancer and other risks. Experiments have shown that changes in temperature have little effect on the stability of bright blue, and it has good heat resistance, with a maximum heat resistance of 283 degrees. In China, most food industries will choose bright blue because of its low cost, strong tinting power and good stability. Although the amount added is not large, consuming it over time will still have adverse effects on the body.
Source ofPhycocyanin
Phycocyanin is a dark blue powder isolated from spirulina. It is a major functional protein in spirulina, accounting for 20% of the dry basis of spirulina. Mainly found in cyanobacteria, red algae and cryptophytes. Phycocyanin is also usually divided into C-phycocyanin and R-phycocyanin. It is not only a protein, but also an excellent natural food pigment and a good health food. It is easily soluble in water, fluorescent, and is a natural blue pigment recognized by the US FDA.
Phycocyanin is rich in high-quality protein and 8 kinds of amino acids required by the human body. It is a micronutrient that is easier for the human body to recognize and absorb. It has extremely high nutritional value, so it is vividly known as the “food diamond”.
Phycocyanin is a protein molecule found in cyanobacteria and algae. Its structural formula consists of four blue pigment groups forming a large ring structure. Each pigment group consists of a blue benzopyrrole ring and a green pyrrole ring. These four pigment groups are linked to other protein residues through carboxyl groups on the benzene ring. The entire molecule is disk-shaped and can absorb longer wavelengths of light. Phycocyanin powder products are relatively stable and can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature. The dissolved liquid product will become unstable if it exceeds 60 degrees Celsius.
Many friends are prone to fading when making products. It may be because the temperature is high, which makes the phycocyanin no longer stable. In addition, oxidation can also cause the phycocyanin to change color, which is stable under weak acid and neutral conditions (PH4 .5–8), precipitation occurs when it is acidic (PH
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Post time: Apr-02-2024
