Fresh living Arthrospira as dietary supplements: Current status and challenges

Background: Arthrospira (Spirulina) spp. has long been consumed as a dietary supplement that provides rich natural nutrients consisting of 60–70% proteins including essential amino acids, vitamins, and some minerals. The currently available Spirulina products in the market are mainly hot and spray-dried and their nutritional values are significantly compromised due to degradation of the heat-sensitive bioactive components. Scope and approach: This commentary provides a critical view on the differences in main nutritional composition between dried and fresh living Arthrospira. In addition, the current R&D advances in the development of fresh living Arthrospira as a dietary supplement including the cultivation system, preservation and storage, product development, nutritional and functional properties and food safety were critically discussed. Key findings and conclusions: Fresh living Arthrospira can better maintain their nutritional, functional, and health values, and therefore could be developed for a new range of Arthrospira derived products. However, the cultivation system that could ensure the food safety and long-term storage technologies to preserve the cell viability in different product formulations are still under development for expanding the commercial applications.