Can spirulina powder be frozen? - The complete guide

Adding nutrition to your diet may be high on your to-do list, but that doesn’t make it easy to accomplish. There are many nutrients we need and only a limited amount of food we can eat in a day, but Spirulina powder is a fantastic way to pack a lot of nutrition into a powerful yet small serving, leaving you plenty of room for all the other delicious foods you want. eat.

You may want to stock up on this algae, as spirulina is known as one of the healthiest foods in the world. However, if you’ve purchased a bulk supply of spirulina to ensure you don’t accidentally run out and to help offset costs, you may be wondering if you can freeze the powder to extend its shelf life.

Can spirulina powder be frozen?

Fortunately, yes, you can freeze spirulina powder, and it’s always a good idea to freeze it in individual servings. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the benefits of spirulina powder, as well as the best practices for freezing it and keeping it fresh.

What is spirulina powder?

If you haven’t jumped on the spirulina bandwagon yet, let’s briefly talk about what this strange green powder is. Spirulina is a type of freshwater blue-green algae . Packed with vital nutrients and relatively easy to harvest, it has been eaten by humans and animals alike for millions of years.

In our modern world, not many people reach into a tank of algae and munch on what they can catch, but dried and powdered spirulina is very popular and has the highest concentration of nutrition by weight.

The first time I tried spirulina, the best way to describe its taste was “green.” (Not much different from matcha powder , though matcha is nicer on its own than spirulina.)

It certainly has a strong flavor that screams health, but it’s very versatile, so even if the flavor isn’t exactly to your liking, there are plenty of ways to consume it that will mask the flavor.

How to Freeze Spirulina Powder

Powders generally freeze well, and you can place an unopened bag in the freezer to store until you are ready to use it.

You can also put an open bag in the freezer, but once you’ve broken the seal, you want to make sure you get as much air out as possible before you put it back in the freezer.

If your spirulina comes in a resealable container, simply squeeze out as much air as you can before resealing . If not, it’s best to transfer the powder to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible before resealing each time.

With any food, it’s important that you try to limit the temperature change to protect quality.

Since the powders are so fine, even a short amount of time out of the freezer will start to thaw the product, so if possible, the best solution is to freeze your spirulina powder in single-serving quantities, so you don’t have to Take out the whole bag every time you want to throw some powder into your smoothie. 

You can also put the appropriate amount in a small square of plastic wrap and then twist the ends to seal a spirulina powder sachet.

This will require a little more prep work to individually package all the servings, but once you have a collection of baggies, you can add them all to a single Ziploc bag or a freezer-safe container that you can seal.

This way, you can reach in and take out a single serving at a time without exposing the entire package to room temperature air.

How to Store Spirulina Powder Without Freezing It

Leaving the spirulina powder at room temperature won’t harm your product, but it won’t protect it either. There are no oils in seaweed that will spoil or go rancid, but as with all foods, exposure to air and the end of their natural life cycle will begin to degrade the nutrition if not kept cold.

If you want to keep it fresh for as long as possible, make sure your spirulina is stored in an airtight, opaque container or package that doesn’t let in sunlight. 

A cool, dark cabinet works well, as does storing it in the fridge, which will give the best results next to freezing.

Spirulina powder health benefits

Spirulina has become quite popular due to its high protein content and the fact that although it is a plant-based protein source, it has all the essential amino acids, making it a “complete” source of protein.

It is also a good source of vitamin B-12 , although science is somewhat at war over the question of whether or not the vitamin is accessible to humans in this form.

Aside from vitamin B-12, spirulina is full of additional nutrients that undoubtedly positively influence human health, most notably tryptophan, iron, and vitamin b-3, or niacin.

Many people start taking spirulina powder supplements because it can help suppress appetite and balance blood glucose levels, which helps people trying to lose weight by dieting. It also helps increase physical performance, so if your weight control plan involves exercise, it’s just as helpful.

Spirulina has been shown to have very potent antimicrobial properties and as such has been used to treat and protect against bacteria and viruses ranging from the common flu to HIV, with many more dangerous diseases in between.

One last impressive benefit of spirulina is that it is a chelating agent, which means it can bind to heavy metals in your body and flush them out through your natural detoxification system: urine.

How to consume spirulina powder

Spirulina is most commonly sold as a powder, in small tablets, or, less commonly, in paste form. However you shop for it, look for a high-quality, trusted brand.

Tablets are easy to swallow, but powders and pastes may require a bit more finesse to incorporate into your eating plan. You can cook spirulina or eat it raw, so you’re spoiled for choice.

However, if you are going to cook with it, try to add it late in the process to protect as much of the nutritional content as possible.

The most popular way to use spirulina powder or paste is to add it to smoothies . Bananas, in particular, help make the taste a bit less aggressive, and they’re a regular staple in smoothies, so they’re an easy pairing, along with anything else you typically add to your drink, like maca. powdered.

If you love the flavor, you might find yourself sprinkling the powder on your salads, in your sauces, or in your soups and stews. It also works great for increasing the protein content of your homemade raw energy snacks, such as happiness balls or protein bars.

Related questions

Is it safe to take spirulina every day?

Yes, it is absolutely safe to consume a high-quality spirulina supplement on a daily basis. It is not considered a drug or medicine, so it is not regulated by the FDA and it is up to you to make sure that you are sourcing your spirulina from a reputable producer.

Most manufacturers suggest a daily intake of between 1 and 10 grams of spirulina, depending on the concentration and your reasons for consuming it. Any known side effects of spirulina come not from the algae itself, but from contaminants due to poor production standards. 

How can I know if my spirulina is of high quality?

Unfortunately, the rapid rise in popularity of this superfood has given rise to a demand-driven industry that has been keen to find the least expensive manufacturing processes without much concern for quality.

There’s no point in removing heavy metals from your bloodstream if you’re being exposed to lead at the same time, right?

When you’re shopping for your spirulina, ask the following questions of the brands you explore:

• Where are the algae grown?  Taiwan and Hawaii have well-regulated spirulina production industries, while countries like China, India, and even Japan are typically more polluted and less regulated.
• Has Spirulina been tested for contaminants?  Look out for third-party verifications that claim there are no heavy metals, additives, or pesticides in the product.
• Is Spirulina Freshwater Cultured? High-quality spirulina is always going to be produced in controlled environments, such as freshwater tanks. If there is a high iodine content in the seaweed you are looking at, it is very likely that it was grown in the ocean and is therefore at much higher risk of contaminants.

Does spirulina thicken hair?

Spirulina’s nutritional profile has a lot to do with the nutrients that support healthy hair growth.

Proteins, with all the amino acids, vitamin A and beta-carotene are present in good quantity in this seaweed, and it has been shown that they protect against hair loss, promote hair regrowth and even treat scalp conditions such as dandruff.