Choque Quispe, DavidMojo Quisani, AntonietaLigarda Samanez, Carlos A.Calla Florez, MiriamRamos Pacheco, Betsy S.Zamalloa Puma, Lourdes MagalyPeralta Guevara, Diego E.Solano Reynoso, Aydeé M.Choque Quispe, YudithKari Ferro, Aydeé2026-03-132026-03-132026-03-13https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11111640https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14195/1523The search for new natural sources of hydrocolloids with stabilizing, thickening, and good binding capacity, from raw materials that are environmentally friendly and that contribute to the circular economy is a challenge for the food industry. The aim of the study was the preliminary characterization of a spray-dried hydrocolloid from high Andean algae Nostoc sphaericum. Four ecotypes of algae from Peruvian high Andean lagoons located above 4000 m were considered. The samples were collected in the period March–April 2021 and were subjected to a spray drying process in an aqueous medium. The characterization showed that the dehydrated nostoc ecotypes presented high protein and carbohydrate content, making it a potential material for direct use as a functional food for humans. The spray-dried product presented good stability for its use as a hydrocolloid, with zeta potential values (ζ), around 30 mV, evidencing the presence of -CO-, -OH, -COO-, and -CH groups, characteristic of polysaccharides, representing 40% of total organic carbon on average, giving it low water activity values and particle size at the nanometric level. Major minerals such as Ca (>277 mg/100 g), Mg (>19.7 mg/100 g), and Fe (>7.7 mg/100 g) were reported. Spray-dried nostoc is a hydrocolloid material with high potential for the food industry, with good nutritional content and techno-functional behavior.application/pdfenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessSpray DriedHydrocolloidNostocStabilizerZeta Potentialinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttps://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#2.11.00