An overview of the applications of Spirulina platensis algae in improving the nutritional and functional properties of dairy products and its use in the recycling of dairy industry waste

Spirulina is the general name of filamentous, multicellular and blue-green microalgae, of which the two genera Arthrospira and spirulina are the most important foods. This algae is the most common and widely used species that has been studied and investigated in many fields, especially food and medical industries. Chemical analysis of spirulina microalgae shows that it is an excellent source of some macronutrients and micronutrients. Spirulina is rich in nutrients, vitamins, amino acids, minerals and fatty acids that are very important for health. The cell cover of spirulina is made of a thin hydrocarbon membrane that is very quickly digested by gastric juice, for this reason spirulina is completely digestible and is one of the richest food sources available. By adding spirulina, the nutritional properties of dairy products will be improved and they will have a better texture, appearance and color than before because spirulina can be used as a stabilizer and add 1 to 1.5% of spirulina powder to dairy products. Like cheese, it reduces water and moisture in it, which makes it softer and is directly related to increasing its shelf life. The dairy industry is one of the most polluted industries that contains elements such as phosphorus, nitrogen, carbon, etc., which microalgae use to completely remove pollutants such as phosphorus, nitrogen, etc., which become spirulina blue green algae. The use of nutrients in the dairy industry and the reduction of organic load are lower so that the water can be used.