Diseño de un formulado microencapsulado con potencial propiedad nutracéutica, a partir de un extracto optimizado de Vernonanthura patens, Ilex guayusa y residuos de Theobroma cacao con distintos materiales de pared

Abstract

Chlorogenic acids have favorable properties for human health and can be found in high amounts in the plant extract of Vernonanthura patens, Ilex guayusa and residues of Theobroma cacao; however, due to its vulnerability to variable environmental conditions, a protection mechanism is required that allows the effective delivery of its functionality. The objective of this work was to design a microencapsulated formulation by spray drying an extract of V. patens, I. guayusa and T. cacao residues with different wall materials, evaluate its efficiency and the bioaccessibility of specific phenolic compounds during gastrointestinal digestion (GID). The concentrated plant extract at 20 % and 40 % load was microencapsulated with maltodextrin (MD), mixtures of maltodextrin with gum arabic (MD-GA) and maltodextrin with pectin (MD-P). The results indicated the formulation that presented the most outstanding characteristics was MD-GA 1.5:1(p/p) loaded at 20%, which appeared as microparticles with moderate fluidity and intermediate cohesiveness and reached 61.8 ± 4.5% yield, 91.1 ± 8.3 % efficiency, with TPC of 13.5 ± 5.2 mg EAG/g, TFC of 25.8 ± 0.1 mgEQ/g and for DPPH 50.4 ± 1.4 µmolET/g. SEM, DSC and FTIR showed microcapsules with irregular morphology with a rough and seamless surface, which were more thermally stable and formed inclusion complexes. Furthermore, during simulated GID the greatest bioaccessibility occurred in the gastric mucosa, showing the feasibility to prepare a microencapsulated nutraceutical product on a larger scale.