Enriquecimento proteico de barra de cereal com Chlorella vulgaris

The microalgae of the Chlorella genus is rich in micronutrients, has a high content of chlorophyll, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids, being considered GRAS by the FDA, Brazilian Journal of Development Braz. J. of Develop., Curitiba, v. 6, n.6, p. 35193-35208 jun. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 35195 and can therefore be used as food without causing risk to human health. Cereal bars are products that can be made with a variety of nutritional and functional ingredients capable of serving consumers concerned with a healthy life. In this study, Chlorella vulgaris was used in different concentrations in the development of a cereal bar, bringing innovation in the use of microalgae on the market. C. vulgaris was grown in an organic medium and flocculated without the addition of a chemical reagent, the protein profile of the freeze-dried biomass was obtained to establish the amount of biomass to be added to the bars, which were subjected to analysis of chemical composition and sensory evaluation, including attributes of appearance, taste, texture and overall impression. The result of the protein content of the algal biomass was 36.61%. Cereal bars enriched with Chlorella vulgaris showed average protein values above that found in commercial cereal bars (4%), 10.93% in the treatment with the addition of 8g (T1) and 9.89% with the addition of 2.5g of biomass (T2). The formulation in T2 obtained satisfactory results in all the sensory aspects evaluated, with acceptability indexes above 77.78%, while T1 presented unsatisfactory results in the sensorial analysis. Thus, the addition of microalgae C. vulgaris as a source of protein, presents a promising alternative with an innovative character in food biotechnology.