Spirulina tastes like the sea, Kocharekar tells us. “It is earthy with a slightly sulphuric edge. While it can certainly become an acquired, pleasant taste, most people would wrinkle their noses after having a bite.” With the laddoos, she has managed to mask the unpleasantness, while keeping its nutritional value intact. 

When this writer took a bite, it reminded her of the texture of besan laddoo. While not too sweet, you realise it’s oceany-flavour only in the aftertaste. The laddoo is a good choice, we think, because it’s a sweet popular across India, with every community having its own  version. “The nutrition profile of spirulina degrades significantly when exposed to heat. Prolonged heating destroys biological elements such as the protein, amino acids, pigments  and all the goodness  that you get from spirulina in the first place. It should be infused into food only after the cooking process and just before packing or serving,” says Kocharekar, who sources spirulina from Malaysia. At Appetite Foods, it’s added at the time of rolling the flour into spherical balls.

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Due to its high protein content, spirulina is frequently referred to as the “lean, green, protein machine”. “While non-vegetarians gain this protein through meat and eggs, spirulina is an excellent alternative for vegetarians.”

The estimated global market value of spirulina in 2020 was $446.74 million, according to the Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020–2027. In 2016, the government of Karnataka, in conjunction with JSW Energy, instituted a statewide programme providing malnourished children with spirulina supplements. The JSW website reports a 46 per cent reduction in malnutrition cases among young children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, while scientific studies are underway to better understand the effects of this programme. “Since the powdered form does not mask the taste and flavour, and the nutraceutical market is still in a nascent stage in India, there is a definite market for it in urban areas, including Mumbai.” Given the thrust on building immunity in the pandemic, there couldn’t be a better food to do the job, she thinks. “The immune system is made up of T cells, B cells and natural immune cells. Spirulina consists of certain elements that improve the functioning of these cells and hence, is the need of the hour.”

TO ORDER: appetitefood.in
PRICE: Rs 375 onwards