Abstract

NUTRACEUTICAL VALUE OF SPIRULINA (ARTHROSPIRA): A REVIEW

A. R. Pawar*, P. S. Rao and R. S. Jadhav

Abstract

Under nutrition constitutes all public health problem particularly in developing countries. The utilization of algae such as Spirulina, as a functional food was suggested decades ago due to the fact that it is not only a protein-dense food source, but because its amino acid profile is considered as of large biologic-value protein content. Arthrospira platensis is the widely available source of spirulina that contains distinctive natural pigments, including C-phycocyanin (C-PC) and carotenoids. Spirulina is most widely accepted free-floating filamentous microalgae growing in alkaline water bodies. With its higher nutritional value, Spirulina has been consumed as food for centuries in Central Africa. This alga is a rich source of vitamins, proteins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients. Its main use is as a food supplement. It is now largely used as nutraceutical food supplement worldwide. Recently, extensive studies and great attention have been devoted to evaluate its therapeutic benefits on an array of diseased conditions including hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycerolemia, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, cancer and viral infections. The cardiovascular benefits of Spirulina are primarily resulted from its antioxidant, hypolipidemic and anti-inflammatory activities. This article serves as an overview, introducing the basic biochemical composition of this algae and moves to nutraceutical applications. In addition to that article shows mechanism of action of spirulina.

Keywords: Spirulina, nutritional composition, Carotenoid, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, Hypolipidemic Activity, Arthrospira platensis.