BackgroundExtract of ciriguela residue was microencapsulated by spray‐drying and freeze‐drying using maltodextrin (M), gum Arabic (GA) and their mixture (50%M; 50%GA on dry basis) as encapsulating agents. Total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant activity, physicochemical properties, profile of phenolic compounds by High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode‐Array Detection (HPLC‐DAD), and storage stability were evaluated.ResultsTPC content of powders ranged from 306.9 to 451.2 mg GAE/g dry powder. The spray‐dried powder prepared using GA as encapsulating agent had higher TPC content and antioxidant activity, while the freeze‐dried powder had lower moisture and water activity. Spray‐dried microcapsules had spherical shape, while freeze‐dried products irregular structures. Profile of phenolic compounds identified in samples was similar, with rutin (342.59 μg/g and 72.92 μg/g) and quercetin (181.02 μg/g and 43.24 μg/g) being the major compounds in liquid and freeze‐dried extracts, respectively, while myricetin (97.41 μg/g) being predominant in spray‐dried ones. Storage stability tests carried out for 45 days at 7 °C or 25 °C revealed no statistically significant difference in TPC.ConclusionCiriguela residue can be considered a source of TPC and used as ingredient with good antioxidant activity in the food industry.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.