PRODUCTION OF POLYCAPROLACTONE MICROSPHERES WITH AÇAÍ USING THE ELECTROSPRAYING TECHNIQUE

The encapsulation process protects bioactive compounds since they are coated with a carrier material to produce micrometer and nanometer-scale capsules. Thus, the addition of açaí in foods can be an alternative to combat the risk against diseases such as cancer and heart disease and increase the nutritional value of a product. However, açaí has compounds sensitive to temperature, enzymes, oxygen, humidity, and pH, which lead to its degradation, loss of nutritional value, and loss of bioavailability. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop polycaprolactone (PCL) microspheres added açaí by electrospraying technique. The process parameters evaluated were feed rate (400-450 µL h-1), the distance between capillary and collector (15-21 cm), capillary diameter (0.33-0.45 mm), and electrical potential (10 -20 kV). Solution concentrations between 8% and 10% (m v-1) of PCL and 1% of açai. The microspheres produced were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microspheres were characterized and evaluated in terms of encapsulation efficiency (EE), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis. The process parameters that showed the best results were a feed rate of 400 µL h-1, the distance between capillary and collector of 21 cm, the capillary diameter of 0.45 mm, and the electrical potential of 10 kV. The solution parameter selected was 8.0% PCL and 1% açaí, as it resulted in microspheres with average diameters of 20 ± 2,5 µm. The EE showed a value of 95,2 ± 0,6%. The DSC leads us to state that there were no intrinsic changes to PCL in contact with chloroform before or after electrospraying. The stable thermal degradation characteristic presented only one degradation step. This response indicated that PCL and açaí microspheres have excellent thermal stability. Therefore, producing PCL microspheres added to açaí by the electrospraying technique is a promising alternative for the food sector.