Blue Spiral
Functional soft ice cream powered by blue spirulina
Blue Spiral is an innovative soft ice cream concept developed to challenge one of the most deeply rooted perceptions in food: the automatic association between intense colors — especially blue — and artificial or highly processed products.
Blue is practically absent in traditional ice creams and dairy products, often generating an immediate perception of artificiality. Blue Spiral transforms that contradiction into its main value proposition:
A visually striking blue soft ice cream whose formulation is based primarily on natural and functional ingredients.
Its vibrant blue color comes exclusively from phycocyanin, a natural pigment-protein extracted from blue spirulina, without the use of artificial colorants.
Blue Spiral uses visual impact as a tool for food design and nutritional storytelling, questioning the idea that visually bold products must necessarily be less healthy.
The key ingredient: blue spirulina phycocyanin
Phycocyanin is a naturally occurring water-soluble phycobiliprotein found in blue spirulina, responsible for its characteristic intense blue color.
Beyond its natural coloring properties, phycocyanin is widely studied for its bioactive profile and potential functional applications.
Scientific literature associates phycocyanin with:
- Intense natural blue pigmentation with strong visual impact
- Naturally occurring bioactive compounds with described antioxidant activity
- Potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties studied in scientific literature
This ingredient allows Blue Spiral to combine:
- Visual innovation
- Cleaner-label formulation
- Nutritional functionality
Technological development and formulation
A soft ice cream formulation was specifically developed and optimized to achieve:
- Creamy and aerated texture
- Structural stability
- Pleasant sensory profile
- Improved nutritional positioning compared to conventional soft ice cream concepts
The formulation incorporates:
- Blue spirulina phycocyanin as natural coloring
- Prebiotic fiber (inulin)
- Dairy proteins
The result is a soft ice cream with:
- Stable and vibrant blue color
- Smooth and creamy texture
- Vanilla and dairy sensory notes
- Good stability in soft-serve format
Functional and nutritional profile
Source of protein
Blue Spiral incorporates dairy proteins, enabling a source of protein positioning.
Protein contributes to:
- Greater satiety potential
- A more balanced nutritional profile within an indulgent category
High in prebiotic fiber
The formulation includes inulin, a prebiotic fiber with both technological and nutritional advantages.
Nutritional benefits
Prebiotic fibers are associated with:
- Selective nourishment of beneficial gut microbiota
- Support for digestive balance
- Improvement of the overall nutritional profile of the product
Technological benefits in dairy and ice cream matrices
In frozen dairy applications, inulin contributes to:
- Increased body and creaminess
- Improved texture and mouthfeel
- Partial fat-mimetic functionality
This enables the development of a more balanced formulation while maintaining:
- Pleasant texture
- Creamy sensory experience
- Structural stability
A new approach to indulgence
Blue Spiral preserves the indulgent dimension expected from ice cream:
- Visually impactful
- Fun and distinctive
- Creamy and enjoyable
- Sensory-driven
But it does so through a more balanced formulation approach, where food design, functionality and sensory pleasure coexist.
The project explores how visual creativity and functional ingredients can create new experiences in frozen desserts without compromising product appeal.
Key attributes
- Natural blue coloration from spirulina-derived phycocyanin
- Ingredient studied for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential
- High in prebiotic fiber
- Source of protein
- No artificial colorants
- Formulated with functional ingredients
- Creamy soft-serve texture and stable sensory profile
Innovation through food design and functionality
Blue Spiral reflects GOe Tech Center’s capabilities in:
- Functional ice cream formulation
- Ingredient innovation and sensory design
- Application of bioactive compounds in food matrices
- Development of cleaner-label concepts
- Functional ingredient integration
- Texture and stability optimization
- Consumer-oriented food innovation
The project demonstrates how biotechnology, nutrition and gastronomy can converge to create products that are visually disruptive, sensorially attractive and aligned with evolving consumer expectations.