Phycocyanin, a natural pigment extracted from spirulina (Spirulina platensis), is used in foods, but its use is limited due to its relatively heat labile nature. Thus, here, we aimed to investigate the effect of cysteine addition on increasing the thermal stability of phycocyanin extracted from spirulina using Collupulin. Our results showed that 0.5% cysteine was the most effective in extracting phycocyanin. Furthermore, 95 °C heat treatment increased the stability of phycocyanin extracted with Collupulin and cysteine. The thermal kinetic model of the phycocyanin extracted with Collupulin and cysteine was confirmed to follow the second order. The activation energy of phycocyanin extracted with Collupulin and cysteine, calculated using the reaction constant (k) obtained from the secondary thermal kinetic model, was 65.3 kJ. Collectively, the addition of 0.5% cysteine increased the thermal stability of phycocyanin extracted with Collupulin, and this phycocyanin could be used in foods that undergo a heating process.
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