International Journal of Physics
ISSN (Print): 2333-4568 ISSN (Online): 2333-4576 Website: https://www.sciepub.com/journal/ijp Editor-in-chief: B.D. Indu
Open Access
Journal Browser
Go
International Journal of Physics. 2026, 14(3), 61-68
DOI: 10.12691/ijp-14-3-2
Open AccessReview Article

Spirulina Drying: Overview of Drying Technologies and their Impact on Spirulina Quality

BEUNONE Davy1, , ABDELHAKIM Boukar2, MAHAMAT Barka2 and ZOUTCHIBE Joseph2

1Polytechnic University of Mongo, BP 4377 Mongo, Chad

2University of N’Djamena, BP 1117, N’Djamena, Chad

Pub. Date: September 27, 2026

Cite this paper:
BEUNONE Davy, ABDELHAKIM Boukar, MAHAMAT Barka and ZOUTCHIBE Joseph. Spirulina Drying: Overview of Drying Technologies and their Impact on Spirulina Quality. International Journal of Physics. 2026; 14(3):61-68. doi: 10.12691/ijp-14-3-2

Abstract

For the growth and maintenance of human health and balance, calories derived from mineral and organic matter from agriculture, fishing and livestock farming are required. Products such as cereals, vegetables, fruits and spirulina are only available during certain periods of the year, whereas food requirements extend throughout the year. It is therefore necessary and important to preserve a certain number of products for consumption throughout a desired season. The main difficulty associated with product preservation is the presence of water, which often promotes the growth of bacteria, yeasts and molds. In the case of spirulina drying in particular, several drying technologies are being studied to improve the quality of the dried spirulina, while reducing drying time and preserving the characteristics of the product. The objective of this work is twofolds; firstly, to review the state of art of spirulina drying technologies studied in various part of the world, and secondly, to identify the best technologies suited to countries with high solar potential and, above all, limited resources, such as Chad.

Keywords:
solar dryer drying drying technology spirulina convection nutritional qualities

Creative CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]  Goulamabasse Tessine Raza, «La spiruline: Activités thérapeutiques et son intérêt dans la lutte contre la malnutrition à Madagascar. Université de Lille», Thèse de Doctorat, Université de Lille, 135, juin 2018.
 
[2]  Tomas Lafarga, José María Fernández-Sevilla, Cynthia González-López, and Francisco Gabriel Acién-Fernández, «Spirulina for the food and functional food industries», 137(4), mai 2020.
 
[3]  M. Halidou Doudou, H. Degbey, H. Daouda, A. Leveque, P. Donnen, P. Hennart, M. Dramaix-Wilmet, «Supplémentation en spiruline dans le cadre de la réhabilitation nutritionnelle : revue systématique,» Revue d’Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, 56 (2008), pp 425–431, nov. 2008.
 
[4]  Mamoudou Barry, Moussa Ouedraogo, Seydou Sourabie et Inocent Pierre Guissou, « Intérêt thérapeutique de la spiruline chez l’homme : revue générale ». International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences, 8(6), pp 2740-2749, nov. 2014.
 
[5]  Kawalpreet Kaur and Saranjeet Kaur, «Spirulina – a wonder nutraceutical against cancer: A review». Plant Archives, 21 (1) pp. 1333-1338, 2021.
 
[6]  Joanna Arthur-Ataam, Patrice Bideaux, Azzouz Charrabi, Pierre Sicard, Bérengère Fromy, Kiaoling Liu, Saadia Eddahibi, Côme Pasqualin, Nicolas Jouy, Sylvain Richard and Anne Virsolvy. «Dietary supplementation with silicon-enriched spirulina improves arterial remodeling and function in hypertensive rats». Nutriments 2019, 11, 2574, oct. 2019.
 
[7]  Jesús Martínez-Sámano, Adriana Torres-Montes de Oca, Oscar Ivan Luqueño-Bocardo, Patricia V. Torres-Durán and Marco A. Juárez-Oropeza. «Spirulina maxima Decreases Endothelial Damage and Oxidative Stress Indicators in Patients with Systemic Arterial Hypertension: Results from Exploratory Controlled Clinical Trial. Marine Drugs, 2018, 16, 496, dec. 2018.
 
[8]  M. Coué, J. Falewee, A. Tesse, L. Fizanne, M. Krempf, J.M. Pommet, O. Lépine, K. Ouguerram, « Effets de l’extrait liquide de spiruline sur la stéatose hépatique », dans Congrès / Nutrition clinique et métabolisme 32 (4) 231–338, novembre 2018.
 
[9]  https://fr.scribd.com › Manuel-Atomisation-3ACAP. [Consulté le 14 mai 2026.
 
[10]  Alessandro Gianfrancesco, «Séchage par atomisation: propriétés de collage des particules en relation avec l’agglomération», Thèse de Doctorat, Institut des Sciences et Industries du Vivant et de l’Environnement (AgroParisTech), 229, 2009.
 
[11]  Daniel Santos et al. «Spray Drying: An Overview», Chapter 2, In book Biomaterials – Physics and Chemestry – New Edition. 2018.
 
[12]  https://www.miph.gov.dz/fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/u6-general-presentation-fr-28062022.pdf [Consulté le 13 mars 2026].
 
[13]  Mamoune El Himri, Abdelouahad El Himri, «La lyophilisation: une voie simple et efficace pour la préparation des nanomatériaux à basse température». Les technologies de laboratoires 5 (20), 2010.
 
[14]  Mahacine Amrani, Amin Laglaoui. «Apport du procédé de lyophilisation sur la qualité des fraises marocaines». Scientifics study & research, VIII (3), 200.
 
[15]  Pierre Verlhac. «Etude et optimisation des cycles de lyophilisation sur la qualité d’une souche probiotique modèle». Thèse de doctorat, Université de Lyon, mars, 2019.
 
[16]  https: . [Consulté le 8 juin 2026]
 
[17]  Centre Technique Agroalimentaire, «Technologie de séchage: séchage basse température - pompe à chaleur», décembre 2017 (10).
 
[18]  Qilong Shi, Yaqin Zheng, Ya Zhao. « Mathematical modeling on thin-layer heat pump drying of yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) slices», Energy Conversion and Management, 70(2013), 208 – 216, 2013.
 
[19]  Laboratoires Humeau. Etuves et armoires de séchage.
 
[20]  https://carriervibrating.com/fr/resources/blog/5-types-of-industrial-drying-systems/ [Consulté le 12 juin 2026].
 
[21]  Christelle Souriam & David Amelin. Fabrication des cuiseurs et séchoirs solaires. Collection PRO – AGRO, 2014.
 
[22]  Fábio de Farias Neves, Mariana Demarco and Giustino Tribuzi. «Drying and quality of microalgal powders for human alimentation», Microalgue – From Physiology to Application.
 
[23]  A.P.Q. Larrosa, A.A. Comitre, L.B. VAZ and L.A.A. Pinto. «Influence of air temperature on physical characteristics and bioactive compounds in vacuum drying of artrospira spirulina», Journal of Food Process Engineering, 00(2026), 2016.
 
[24]  Kyuya Nakagawa, Watadta Richaroen, Puchong Sri-Uam, Prasert Pavasant, Shuji Adachi, «Antioxidant properties of convective-air-dried Spirulina maxima: Evaluation of phycocyanin retention by a simple mathematical model of air drying», Food and Bioproducts Processing S0960 3085(16)30086-4, 2016.
 
[25]  Aji Prasetyaningrum and Mohamad Djaeni, « Drying, Spirulina with Foam Mat Drying at Medium Temperature », Internat. J. of Sci. and Eng., 3(2), pp 1 – 3, 2012.
 
[26]  Bruna R. Costa, Marla C. K. Rodrigues, Silva F. Rocha, Ricardo S. Pohndorf, Ana P. Q. Larrosa and Luiz A. A. Pinto. «Optimization of spirulina sp. Drying in heat pump: effects on the physicochemical properties and color parameters». Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 2015.
 
[27]  Ana Paula Quites Larrosa & Álisson Schons Camara & Ricardo Scherer Pohndorf & Silvia Faria da Rocha1 & Luiz Antonio de Almeida Pinto, «Physicochemical, biochemical, and thermal properties of Arthrospira (Spirulina) biomass dried in spouted bed at different conditions». J Appl Phycol. 2015.
 
[28]  Hélène Desmorieux and Fabiola Hernandez, «Biochemical and physical criteria of spirulina after different drying processes». dans Proceedings of the 14th International Drying Symposium, August 2004, vol. B, pp. 900-907.
 
[29]  Elizangela G. Oliveira, Jessica H. Duarte, Kelly Moraes, Valeria T. Crexi & Luiz A. A. Pinto. «Optimisation of Spirulina platensis convective drying: evaluation of phycocyanin loss and lipid oxidation», International Journal of Food Sciences & Technology, pp 572–1578, 2010.
 
[30]  A.O. Dissa, H. Desmorieux, P.W. Savadogo, B.G. Segda, J. Koulidiati, «Shrinkage, porosity and density behaviour during convective drying of spirulina», Journal of Food Engineering, 97 (2010), pp 410 – 418, 2010.
 
[31]  H. Desmorieux, J. Madiouli, C. Herraud, H. Mouaziz. «Effects of size and form of Arthrospira Spirulina biomass on the shrinkage and porosity during drying». Journal of Food Engineering, 100(2010), pp 585 – 595, 2010.
 
[32]  Joao Paulo Siqueira Silva, Carlos Roberto Rodrigues Veloso, Marcos Antonio de Souza Barrozo, Luiz Gustavo Martins Vieira. «Indirect solar drying of Spirulina platensis and the effect of operating conditions on product quality», Algal Research, 60(2021), 2021.
 
[33]  J. Prakash, B. Pushparaj, P. Carlozzi , G. Torzillo, E. Montaini & R. Materassi. «Microalgal biomass drying by a simple solar device», International Journal of Solar Energy, 18, pp 303 - 311 1996.
 
[34]  Mohamed Fterich, Ahmed Saadeddine Souissi, Ezzeddine Touti, Hatem Bentaher, «Experimental and Numerical Study of the Performance Improvement of the Solar Dryer Equipped with PVT», Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, 14 (3), pp 13822-13829, 2024.
 
[35]  Sofia Papadaki, Konstantina Kyriakopoulou, Marina Stramarkou, Ioannis Tzovenis, Magdalini Krokida. «Environmental Assessment of Industrially Applied Drying Technologies for the Treatment of Spirulina Platensis», Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology, 11, pp 41 – 46, 2017.
 
[36]  R. López Pastor, M.G. Pinna-Hernández, F.G. Acién Fernández, «Technical and economic viability of using solar thermal energy for microalgae drying», Energy Reports, 10 (2023), pp 989 – 1003, 2023.
 
[37]  Bruna R. Costa, Silva F. Rocha, Marla C. K. Rodrigues, Ricardo S. Pohndorf, Ana P. Q. Larrosa & Luiz A. A. Pinto. «Physicochemical characteristics of the Spirulina sp. dried in heat pump and conventional tray dryers», International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 50, pp 2614 – 2621, 2015.
 
[38]  Neiton C. Silva, Marcela V.C. Machado, Rodolfo J. Brandão, Cláudio R. Duarte, Marcos A.S. Barrozo, «Dehydration of microalgae Spirulina platensis in a rotary drum with inert bed», Powder Technology S0032-5910(19)30266-9, 2019.
 
[39]  Abou El-Kheir, W. S; Ibrahim, E.A. Abd El-Razek, A. B. and Helal, A. M., «Effect of drying processes on biochemical contents of spirulina platensis as a protein source for fish diet». J. Environ. Sci, 32. Mar. 2016.
 
[40]  E.G. Oliveira, G.S. Rosa, M.A. Moraes, L.A.A. Pinto, «Characterization of thin layer drying of Spirulina platensis utilizing perpendicular air flow». Bioresource Technology, 100 (2009), pp 1297–1303, 2009.
 
[41]  Teresa Papalia, Rossana Sidari and Maria Rosaria Panuccio, Impact of Different Storage Methods on Bioactive Compounds in Arthrospira platensis Biomass» , Molecules 2019, 24, 2810.
 
[42]  Ricardo S. Pohndorf, Alisson S. Camara, Ana P.Q. Larrosa, Cl audio P. Pinheiro, Monique M. Strieder, Luiz A.A. Pinto. «Production of lipids from microalgae Spirulina sp.: Influence of drying, cell disruption and extraction methods», Biomass and Bioenergy; 93 (2016), pp 25 – 32, 2016.
 
[43]  Marina Stramarkou, Sofia Papadaki, Konstantina Kyriakopoulou, Ioannis Tzovenis, Marios Chronis & Magdalini Krokida, «Comparative analysis of different drying techniques based on the qualitative characteristics of spirulina platensis biomass», Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, 30 (5), pp 498 – 516, 2021.
 
[44]  Demarco M. et al., «Production of Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) powder by innovative and traditional drying techniques», Journal of Foof Process Engineering, 2021.