Effect of Agave Fructans as Carrier on the Encapsulation of Blue Corn Anthocyanins by Spray Drying.

Miguel Á Sánchez-Madrigal,Armando Quintero-Ramos,Carmen O Meléndez-Pizarro,Carlos A Amaya-Guerra,Carlos J Aguilera-González,Sandra L Castillo-Hernández

doi:10.3390/foods8070268

Miguel Á Sánchez-Madrigal, Armando Quintero-Ramos + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8070268

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Abstract

Effects of agave fructans as carrier agents on the encapsulation of blue corn anthocyanins using spray-drying were evaluated. Blue corn extract was mixed with 6%, 8%, 10%, and 12% (w/v) of agave fructans in duplicate and dried at 150 °C. The extract showed good contents of anthocyanins, polyphenols, and antioxidant activity. The increase of agave fructans in the encapsulated powders caused a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the humidity, water activity (aw), pH, bulk density, water solubility index (WSI), and color L* values. On the contrary, the agave fructan addition decreased the hygroscopicity, water absorption index (WAI), antioxidant activity, total anthocyanin, total polyphenol, and individual anthocyanin contents. The encapsulation of blue corn extract with 6% agave fructans (w/v) resulted in good physical, thermal, morphological, and high antioxidant properties. The results suggest that the use of agave fructans as wall material represents advantages in the conservation of anthocyanins and other bioactive compounds from blue corn extract during their encapsulation. The application of blue corn anthocyanin encapsulated powders as a food ingredient is promising for food pigmentation, representing additional advantages for their contribution as a soluble fiber that can benefit the health of consumers.

Highlights

The interest in blue or pigmented corns (Zea mays L.) has increased in recent years due to their nutraceutical properties beneficial to the health of consumers
The anthocyanin concentration for the blue corn used in this study was lower than the value reported for a blue corn from Turkey reported by Mutlu et al [20] with 91.54 mg/100 g, but similar to a Bolivian purple corn reported by Cuevas-Montilla et al [21] with 71.52 mg/100 g d.b., and for a purple waxy corn developed in Thailand with 75.40 mg/100 g d.b. [22]
This study describes the use of agave fructans in different concentrations as a wall or carrier

Summary

Introduction

The interest in blue or pigmented corns (Zea mays L.) has increased in recent years due to their nutraceutical properties beneficial to the health of consumers. This is attributed to phenolic compounds, mainly anthocyanins, present in these grains [1,2]. The high content of anthocyanins in blue corn makes it competitive as a natural source of pigments and it can be considered as a substitute for synthetic food dyes. Microencapsulation is a promising alternative technique to improve the stability of natural pigments and protect them by entrapping with a carrier agent or wall material [6,7].

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