Phycocyanin (PC), a peptide-based bioactive blue pigment derived from cyanobacteria, offers health benefits but is sensitive to environmental factors like temperature, light, and acidity. This study explored spray-drying encapsulating phycocyanin using enzymatically-modified whey protein concentrate (WPC) and maltodextrin (MD) to enhance its stability and application in functional gummy-candies (GCs) formulation. Partial hydrolysis improved WPC's solubility and surface activity, enhancing its efficiency (as a wall and carrier material) in forming protective shells around phycocyanin. FTIR and DSC analyzes indicated the placement of phycocyanin inside the carrier matrix and improved thermal stability. Hydrolyzed-WPC (H-WPC) coating increased the physical stability of phycocyanin-particles and minimized the formation of liquid/solid bridges and deliquescence. The use of H-WPC as a carrier led to the preservation of structural (morphology), natural color, chemical (FTIR) characteristics, bioactive compounds (phycocyanin and total phenolic content), and biological activities (OH, ABTS, DPPH radicals scavenging and reducing power) during storage in different conditions (darkness, light, humidity, 50 and 70°С). The highest color and histogram quality of GCs were obtained after adding 1.5 % of encapsulated phycocyanin. However, GCs formulated with 1 % spray-dried phycocyanin had higher sensory acceptance. The results of this study indicate the production of phycocyanin encapsulated in MD-WPC with high stability to light, humidity, temperature tensions and applicability in fortifying transparent food formulations and desserts.
