Title : Encapsulation of bioactive compounds from Plinia cauliflora (jabuticaba) fruit peels extract
Abstract:
Plinia cauliflora, popularly known as “jabuticaba”, is a Brazilian species cultivated throughout the country. Fruits of jabuticaba are a rich source of polyphenols, resulting in a potent antioxidant activity. As even the residues of the fruit contain high concentrations of polyphenols, use of the peel as a font of antioxidants is a sustainable alternative, but the instability of these compounds limits their application. The microencapsulation is a technique has been extensively used for the protection and controlled release of bioactive compounds. Then, microencapsulation of ethanolic extract of jabuticaba peels was conducted. The microparticles (MPs) were obtained by the spray-drying method using the chitosan polymer, with varying amounts of polymer and extract, and different drying conditions. After production, all MPs were characterized basing on the yield, encapsulation efficiency and morphology. From these results, we selected the best systems for characterization of size distribution, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The MPs presented an equivalent yield that ranged from 29.63% to 37.65% and it was observed a trend of yield increasing with the increase of the extract to the polymer ratio. The encapsulation efficiency ranged from 52.71% to 89.74%, and the highest encapsulation efficiency values were obtained in MPs with more concentrated extract ratio. Besides that, spherical morphology, with a smooth surface, mean diameter of ~ 9 μm. The best MPs selected presented highly efficient encapsulation of total polyphenols (~ 79%), significant antioxidant activity, zeta potential + 3.21 mV. It was possible to develop microparticles of jabuticaba peel extract, and these were able to protect the total polyphenols in the extract
