Phycobiliproteins, the pigment-protein complex form of natural food colorants and bioactive ingredients
Jun‐Rui Ma, Jiangnan Hu, Xinmei Sha, Demei Meng, Rui Yang
Abstract
thioether linkages to cysteine residues. According to the spectral characteristics of PBPs, they can be categorized as phycoerythrins (PEs), phycocyanins (PCs), allophycocyanins (APCs), and phycoerythrocyanins (PECs). PBPs can be used as natural food colorants, fluorescent substances, and bioactive ingredients in food applications owing to their color characteristics and physiological activities. This paper mainly summarizes the extraction and purification methods of the PBPs and reviews their characteristics and applications. Moreover, the use of several strategies such as additives, microencapsulation, electrospray, and cross-linking to improve the stability and bioavailability of PBPs as well as the future outlooks of PBPs as natural colorants in food commercialization are elucidated.