CHALLENGES IN SPRAY-DRYING HABANERO RED EXTRACT: A PILOT STUDY ON THE MICROENCAPSULATION WITH MALTODEXTRIN AND GUM ARABIC

Abstract

This study investigated the microencapsulation of Capsicum chinense Jacq. Habanero Red extract (HRE), focusing on the preservation of its bioactive components and physicochemical stability. We analyzed total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AA), capsaicinoid levels, and selected polyphenols in both pure and spray-dried form. Microencapsulation was achieved using a blend of maltodextrin (MD) and gum Arabic (GA) in a 3:2 ratio, with an inlet temperature of 120 °C. Key microencapsulation efficiency parameters were evaluated, including phenolic retention, antioxidant preservation, solids recovery, moisture content (MC), and water activity (a_w) in the microencapsulated powder. Our results showed high phenolic retention (70.37 ± 5.55%) and antioxidant capacity preservation (90.51 ± 0.72%) in the spray-dried HRE powder, even though solids recovery was below 50% (44.46 ± 0.51%). This powder had values for MC (5.50 ± 0.75%) and a_w (0.352 ± 0.004) within the microbiologically stable range. The findings indicate that microencapsulation effectively retains bioactive components, supporting the stability and potential application of HRE in functional food formulations. Essentially, the pilot study generated an initial data focusing on polyphenol and AA preservation under the selected conditions and it can provide a basis for larger-scale or more comprehensive studies utilizing these parameters to enhance the encapsulation efficiency and stability of diverse bioactive compounds.