Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) extracts microencapsulated with different encapsulating agents

Jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) is a Brazilian fruit rich in phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins, known for their biological benefits. These bioactive compounds exhibit low stability and bioavailability, making them vulnerable to degradation during processing and storage. Microencapsulation emerges as a promising strategy to enhance the stability, bioavailability, and preserve the antioxidant activity of these molecules, facilitating its incorporation into food and nutraceutical application. The choice of core and wall materials, as well as the technology applied, is crucial for the effectiveness of microencapsulation. This study aimed to evaluate the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of jabuticaba extracts microencapsulated with different encapsulating agents. Jabuticaba were harvested during the ripening season, and a hydroethanolic extract was obtained from their freeze-dried peels. The extracts were then microencapsulated using spray drying, with maltodextrin, inulin, whey protein concentrate (WPC), and lactose as encapsulating agents, all at a concentration of 30%. Monomeric anthocyanins were determined using the pH differential method, phenolic compounds were quantified by the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, and antioxidant capacity was assessed by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. The microencapsulated extract with maltodextrin showed the highest concentration of monomeric anthocyanins (1.80±0.4 mg/g), phenolic compounds (9.87±0.03 mg GAE/g), and the greatest antioxidant capacity in all applied methodologies (DPPH: 862±38; ABTS: 82±11 and FRAP: 115±13 µmol trolox/g) compared to the other samples (p<0.05). Lactose and inulin resulted in intermediate values, while WPC-encapsulated extracts showed the lowest results in all analyses. The results demonstrate that the choice of encapsulating agent has a direct impact on the efficiency of bioactive compound preservation, with maltodextrin being the most effective agent in protecting these compounds. WPC showed the poorest performance, suggesting that its protein structure may not be as effective in protecting phenolic compounds and anthocyanins.