Spray drying and characterisation of anthocyanin rich microcapsules from jaboticaba juice with maltodextrin

Abstract

Natural plant pigments, especially anthocyanins have gained significant attention in recent years, primarily due to their pharmacological significance. However, they are unstable and prone to degradation due to processing factors such as temperature, light exposure, oxidation and/or pH change. Encapsulation is one of the widely accepted techniques to protect the natural colorants from degradation. Maltodextrin was a commonly used carrier due to its high solubility in juice, neutral taste and low viscosity properties. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of maltodextrin (10–25 %) on the physicochemical properties of spray dried microcapsules of anthocyanin rich jaboticaba juice. Jaboticaba berries were blended and subjected to ultrasonication to enhance anthocyanin extraction in the juice. Particle shrinkage was observed for microcapsules containing 25 % maltodextrin, despite the microcapsules achieved the highest encapsulation efficiency, 97.1 % and total anthocyanin content. Although maltodextrin content more than 15 % resulted in the highest lightness of jaboticaba microcapsules, their colour intensity expressed in chroma was reduced. In contrast, 15 % maltodextrin produced spherical microcapsules with a narrow range of particle size (6.42–8.65 μm) and exhibited intermediate flowability and compressibility. Microcapsules with 15 % maltodextrin retained the highest content of cyanidin 3-glucoside (51 mg/L), though their encapsulation efficiency was only 65 %. Based on the physicochemical examination, 15 % maltodextrin was the most suitable composition for encapsulating jaboticaba juice. More importantly, it retained the highest cyanidin 3-glucoside content and produced monodisperse and micron-scale size capsules.