Phycocyanin (Spirulina Extract) Powder

Phycocyanin is the water-soluble blue phycobiliprotein that gives Arthrospira platensis its colour. Thovek supplies it as a filtered aqueous extract of dried cultivated biomass, spray-dried to a free-flowing powder and released against colour value rather than a percentage assay. The standard trade grade is E18, which means a 1 % w/v aqueous solution at pH 7.0 reads an absorbance of 18.0 or better at 618 nm in a 1 cm cell. Purity is reported separately as the A620/A280 ratio, comparing the phycocyanin peak against the other proteins carried through the extraction. Buyers comparing quotes should always read the two numbers together, because a high colour value on a low purity ratio is a different article from a high colour value on a clean one. The pigment is a protein and it behaves like one in a formulation. It is freely soluble in water, stable through pH 5.0 to 7.0, precipitates below pH 4.0, and denatures irreversibly above roughly 65 degrees C. That places it in cold-fill beverages, panned and moulded confectionery, frozen desserts, yoghurt and dry supplement powders rather than in retort, extrusion or baked systems. Food-grade powder is normally carried on maltodextrin from maize or tapioca at 10 to 30 % w/w, which improves flow and gives some thermal protection; carrier-free freeze-dried and higher-purity analytical grades are produced where the carrier is unwanted. Colour value is best preserved by dark, dry, cool storage, and refrigerated distribution is the single most effective step for holding shade over a long supply chain. Regulatory position differs by market and should be confirmed before a launch. In the United States spirulina extract is listed as a colour additive exempt from certification under 21 CFR 73.530 for foods and 21 CFR 73.1530 for drug uses, with specification limits of not more than 2 mg/kg lead, 2 mg/kg arsenic and 1 mg/kg mercury and a negative result for microcystin toxin; Codex carries it as INS 134. In the European Union spirulina concentrate is generally handled as a colouring foodstuff rather than as an Annex II additive, so the buyer's own regulatory assessment governs. The material is of algal origin: it is vegan and vegetarian, non-GMO, and free of milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, gluten and nut inputs, with no bovine, porcine or marine-animal material used at any stage. Every lot ships with a certificate of analysis stating colour value, purity ratio, carrier identity and botanical origin, heavy metals, microcystin and microbiology.