Anthocyanin-Rich Jamun (Syzygium cumini L.) Pulp Transported on Protein-Coated Ionic Gelation Microparticles of Calcium Alginate: Production and Morphological Characteristics

Jamun (Syzygium cumini L.) is a fruit rich in anthocyanins, an important group of natural pigments, with color ranging from red to blue, soluble in water, highly antioxidant. Despite its great potential for use as a natural dye, its application is a challenge, due to the instability of these compounds in the environmental conditions of processing and storage commonly used by the food industry. Therefore, this study evaluated the microencapsulation of anthocyanin-rich jamun pulp by ionic gelation (IG) and its protein-coating by electrostatic interaction (PC). The effect of the ratio of sodium alginate solids and jamun pulp (1:0.40 to 1:2, w/w) and the concentration of gelatin coating solution (0% to 10%, w/w) on the morphology, water and total protein content and anthocyanins content in the microparticles were evaluated. Visually, the IG particles showed color tones ranging from reddish to purplish, which became less intense and opaque after being submitted to the gelatin coating process. Microscopic images demonstrated that microparticles formed had an irregular and heterogeneous shape with disorganized gel network formation is due to the presence of solid structures of jamun pulp, observed within the microparticles. The greater the concentration of gelatin in the coating solution, the greater the protein adsorption for the formation of the protective layer, ranging from 21.82 ± 0.72% (T1) to 55.87 ± 4.23% (T6). Protein adsorption on the GI resulted in a decrease in moisture content (ranging from 87.04 ± 0.22 to 97.06 ± 0.12%) and anthocyanins contents (ranging from 5.84 ± 0.62 to 0.78 ± 0.14%) in the PC microparticles.