Spray-Drying Microencapsulation of Pink Guava (Psidium guajava) Carotenoids Using Mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica Cladodes and Aloe Vera Leaves as Encapsulating Materials

Abstract

In this work, the capacity of the mucilage extracted from the cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) and aloe vera (AV) leaves as wall material in the microencapsulation of pink guava carotenoids using spray-drying was studied. The stability of the encapsulated carotenoids was quantified using UV–vis and HPLC/MS techniques. Likewise, the antioxidant activity (TEAC), color (CIELab), structural (FTIR) and microstructural (SEM and particle size) properties, as well as the total dietary content, of both types of mucilage microcapsules were determined. Our results show that the use of AV mucilage, compared to OFI mucilage, increased both the retention of β-carotene and the antioxidant capacity of the carotenoid microcapsules by around 14%, as well as the total carotenoid content (TCC) by around 26%, and also favors the formation of spherical-type particles (Ø ≅ 26 µm) without the apparent damage of a more uniform size and with an attractive red-yellow hue. This type of microcapsules is proposed as a convenient alternative means to incorporate guava carotenoids, a natural colorant with a high antioxidant capacity, and dietary fiber content in the manufacture of functional products, which is a topic of interest for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.

Evaluation of Guava Pulp Microencapsulated in Mucilage of Aloe Vera and Opuntia ficus-indica as a Natural Dye for Yogurt: Functional Characterization and Color Stability

“…The preparation of pulp guava was carried out following the methodology reported by Otálora et al [ 7 ]. The fruit units were washed with distilled water and manually peeled to obtain the pulp and seeds.…”

“…The microencapsulation of lyophilized guava pulp via spray drying was performed according to the methodology reported by Otálora et al [ 7 ]. Aqueous solutions of mucilage from cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica (1.2 g/100 mL) and aloe vera leaves (0.4 g/100 mL), as wall materials, were prepared at 18 °C by constantly stirring at 300 rpm for 2 h using a magnetic stirrer (C-MAG HS 7 S000, IKA, Staufen im Breisgau, Germany).…”

“…Alternatively, spray drying (SD) has been the most widely used microencapsulation method in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food sectors to trap carotenoids, mainly due to its ease in producing solids from liquids, converting hydrophobic compounds into water-dispersible powders, and improving the stability of bioactive compounds sensitive to extrinsic factors, thus increasing their useful life [ 4 , 6 ]. In this context, we have recently microencapsulated the pulp of pink guava (a rich source of lycopene with high antioxidant capacity) using mucilage from the cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica and aloe vera leaves as encapsulating material [ 7 ]. The selection of these biopolymers as wall materials in the microcapsules was made due to their antioxidant functional properties and high content of dietary fiber [ 8 , 9 ], which was used to replace maltodextrin, a conventional encapsulating material based on polysaccharides that does not provide a nutritional value added to the final product [ 10 ].…”

A Concise Review on Taro Mucilage: Extraction Techniques, Chemical Composition, Characterization, Applications, and Health Attributes

“…Among the plant kingdom, flaxseed, taro, chia seed, psyllium, basil seed, tamarind seeds, and okra are the richest sources of mucilage. Moreover, mucilage has been exploited in the human diet (as a food ingredient substitute or additive) [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Even at low concentrations, mucilage has excellent viscosity, water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, and antimicrobial activity.…”

Microencapsulation by Spray Drying and Antioxidant Activity of Phenolic Compounds from Tucuma Coproduct (Astrocaryum vulgare Mart.) Almonds

“…Microencapsulation consists of incorporating the substances of interest (core or active material) into a coating system (wall material, carrier or encapsulating agent), generating microparticulate systems or spherical microparticles with sizes that can vary from 1 to 1000 µm [ 16 , 17 ]. In this perspective, microencapsulation by spray drying becomes a promising alternative for protecting the bioactive compounds using a polymeric matrix [ 3 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Spray drying is an encapsulation technique widely used in the food industry [ 21 , 22 , 23 ] and consists of the atomization of a liquid product into a stream generating a pulverized product of warm air [ 24 , 25 ].…”