Color stabilization of porcine hemoglobin during spray-drying and powder storage by combining chelating and reducing agents

This work focuses on the effects of adding a chelating agent – such as nicotinic acid (NA, 2% w/v) or nicotinamide (Nam, 2.5% w/v) – along with glucose as a reducing agent (G, 10% w/v) to fresh porcine hemoglobin in order to stabilize its red color during spray-drying and powder storage at room temperature. Correlations between the CIELAB color parameters and the relative percentages of the different hemoglobin derivatives (liganded and deliganded ferrohemoglobin, and methemoglobin) were analyzed. The results indicate that, although little effects could be observed for any of the combined treatments on fresh hemoglobin, they were effective against pigment autoxidation during dehydration and subsequent storage. From the results, it can also be concluded that glucose was the main contributor to the color stabilization of the hemoglobin powder, probably due to its high water retention capacity.