Am I losing health benefits if I consume the frozen Spirulina cube before it is completely thawed to room temperature?

When it comes to fresh, Raw Living Spirulina, how you handle it during and after freezing significantly impacts its nutrient retention. Freezing itself is an excellent way to preserve Spirulina’s nutrients, often locking in more vitamins and minerals than if it were stored fresh for extended periods, as nutrient degradation begins post-harvest. The formation of ice crystals during freezing can rupture cell walls, which, although potentially leading to a slightly softer texture upon thawing, can also be beneficial by making nutrients more accessible to digestive enzymes, thereby potentially increasing their bioavailability.

However, the thawing process is where nutrient loss is most likely to occur. As long as you are thawing Living Spirulina in liquid (such as water, green juice, or coconut water), this will help protect the water-soluble nutrients as they thaw and disperse into the liquid solution, minimizing their loss. This is crucial because improper or prolonged thawing, especially in air, can lead to significant nutrient degradation. If you are thawing in air, the longer every thawed cell is in contact with oxygen, the faster the nutrients break down. Since thawing occurs from the exterior surface of the cube inward, the outer layers are exposed to oxygen and potential nutrient loss for a longer duration when thawing in air.

While consuming fully frozen Spirulina requires your body to expend a small amount of energy to warm it up, there’s no strong scientific evidence that this initial temperature difference significantly alters ultimate nutrient bioavailability. Once the Spirulina reaches your stomach, it will be warmed, and absorption will proceed as usual.  Consuming slightly frozen Spirulina cubes is preferable to fully thawing them at room temperature because it minimizes the time the thawed cells are exposed to oxygen, thereby safeguarding the precious water-soluble nutrients from breakdown. The key takeaway is to prioritize thawing in liquid or consuming it while still slightly frozen to maximize the bioavailability and retention of Living Spirulina’s potent nutrients.