A preliminary study on the use of phycocyanin as a natural blue color source in toffee‐type soft candy: Effect of storage temperature and pigment concentration

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, phycocyanin obtained from Spirulina platensis extract was used at various concentrations as a natural blue color source in toffee‐type soft candy, and the effect of various storage temperatures (4, 20, and 40°C) on the color stability was investigated. In addition, main quality parameters, such as water activity, texture, and sensory analysis, were determined in the samples stored for 3 months at 20°C, and thus the effect of phycocyanin addition on the product appeal was studied. According to the results, the addition of phycocyanin powder did not significantly affect water activity (p > .05). As expected, L*, a*, and b* values of the samples changed with the phycocyanin, and the ΔE values of the samples stored at 4, 20, and 40°C varied between 0.14–0.44, 0.84–2.76, and 2.63–7.90, respectively, during the entire storage period. The texture analysis outputs revealed that the use of phycocyanin did not cause any change in the textural properties of the samples (p > .05). Considering the sensory analysis, all studied concentrations scored high in terms of color liking, and the use of phycocyanin in toffee‐type soft candy production resulted in a remarkable consumer appeal. Hence, the outcomes of this study show that if temperature control is performed in the production, the organoleptic properties of toffee‐type candy products can be enhanced using phycocyanin and can meet consumer requests and demands.