Heat-ResistantAphanizomenon flos-aquae(AFA) Extract(Klamin®) as a Functional Ingredient in Food Strategy forPrevention of Oxidative Stress

Microalgae are generally considered an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive molecules that make them suitable tobe introduced in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food industries.Aphanizomenonflos-aquae(AFA), an edible microalga, containsnumerous biomolecules potentially able to prevent some pathologies including age-related disorders. With the aim to include anAFA extract (Klamin®) as a functional ingredient in baked products, we investigated if its bioactive molecules are destroyed orinactivated after standard cooking temperature. The AFA extract was exposed to heat stress (AFA-HS), and no significantdecrease in pigment, polyphenol, and carotenoid content was detected by spectroscopic analysis. Thermal stability of AFA-HSextract was demonstrated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and no change in the morphology of the granules of thepowder was noticed by SEM microscopic observation. By Folin-Ciocalteu, ORAC, and ABTS assays, no change in theantioxidant activity and polyphenol contents was found after high-temperature exposition. When added in cell culture,solubilized AFA-HS lost neither its scavenging ability against ROS generation nor its protective role against Abeta, the mainpeptide involved in Alzheimer's disease. Prebiotic and antioxidant activities of AFA extract that are not lost after thermal stresswere verified onE. colibacteria. Finally, AFA-HS cookies, containing the extract as one of their ingredients, showed increasedpolyphenols. Here, we evaluate the possibility to use the AFA extract to produce functional food and prevent metabolic and age-related diseases.