The Improving stability of hemoglobin-based natural food colorant by means encapsulation with calcium alginate

This work is circumscribed in a research project aimed at producing a natural red food colorant, stable during long-term storage at room temperature and with a wide range of applications, using hemoglobin from porcine blood as raw material. Previous studies had shown that both spray-drying (which is the most frequently used preservation method for liquid products) and freeze-drying, promoted the oxidation of iron during dehydration, and the subsequent loss in the quality of hemoglobin powder color. To prevent oxidation reactions during dehydration, several potentially protective substances (i.e. antioxidants, chelating agents and stabilizers) were evaluated. At present, a spray-dried product showing excellent color characteristic by adding 3 different compounds, which act synergistically, has been achieved. However, further research is necessary in order to increase the stability of the product during storage at room temperature and to extend the applications to a wide range of food matrices. The objective of this study was improving the stability of this hem-derivative product at acidic conditions and moderate temperatures by means of encapsulation with calcium alginat