Saffron petal, as a byproduct of saffron processing, contains a considerable amount of antioxidant compounds. In the present study, the effect of drying methods (spray and freeze) and different wall structures (maltodextrin and pectin) was investigated on the physicochemical characteristics of microcapsules of saffron petal extracts. Results showed that the increase of the pectin ratio in wall composition leads to the increase of polyphenols content and antioxidant activity of microcapsules. Microencapsulation efficiency and loading capacity in pectin‐contained samples were higher than pure maltodextrin samples. Moreover, microcapsules obtained from spray drying method had higher microencapsulation efficiency and loading capacity in comparison with microcapsules obtained from freeze drying method. Also, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry have been shown to be useful tools for establishing the difference between produced microcapsules. High‐performance liquid chromatography was used to evaluate the polyphenolic compounds of the microsphere. The chromatograms obtained from both encapsulation methods indicated high levels of routine in microcapsules of saffron petal extract. In addition, the release of polyphenols from microcapsules of saffron petal extract was evaluated under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The results indicated that the release behavior of the microcapsules varied according to the type of drying method and wall composition. To assess the shelf life, the microcapsules were kept at different temperatures and relative humidities for 16 weeks. The microcapsules produced by freeze drying and containing high levels of pectin in wall composition had the highest antioxidant activity when kept in relative humidity of 11% and temperature of 4 °C.
Practical Application
Saffron petal is the huge amount of saffron by‐product and contains a number of various antioxidant compounds. Microencapsulation of its valuable compounds results in preventing the destruction of these compounds by environmental factors and their increased bioavailability. Indeed, this paper focuses on the release of microencapsulated powder in the simulated system of the digestive system that helps us to improve the shelf life of the final product during the process and controlled release of compounds in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.