Abstract
The açaí fruit (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) is well known for its high content of antioxidant compounds, especially anthocyanins, which provide beneficial health properties. The incorporation of this fruit is limited to food products whose processing does not involve the use of high temperatures due to the low thermal stability of these functional components. The objective of this work was the encapsulation of açaí fruit antioxidants into electrosprayed zein, a heat-resistant protein, to improve their bioavailability and thermal resistance. First, the hydroalcoholic açaí extract was selected due to its high polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacities, and, subsequently, it was successfully encapsulated in electrosprayed zein particles. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed that the resulting particles presented cavities with an average size of 924 nm. Structural characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed certain chemical interaction between the active compounds and zein. Encapsulation efficiency was approximately 70%. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of the encapsulated extract on protecting polyphenolic content after high-temperature treatments, such as sterilization (121 °C) and baking (180 °C). Bioaccesibility studies also indicated an increase of polyphenols presence after in vitro digestion stages of encapsulated açaí fruit extract in contrast with the unprotected extract.
Highlights
In the last decade, the market for nutraceuticals has grown enormously due to accentuated interest by consumers in their therapeutic effects for health disorders, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases [1,2]
Hydroalcoholic extraction achieved the greatest performance by extracting the highest amount of phenolic and antioxidant compounds with different polarities related to both ethanol and water [35]
Polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity studies have demonstrated açaí to be the fruit with the highest content of active compounds
Summary
The market for nutraceuticals has grown enormously due to accentuated interest by consumers in their therapeutic effects for health disorders, including neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases [1,2]. A broad variety of active compounds from natural sources has been researched. Numerous studies have shown that certain fruit contains high levels of antioxidant active compounds. One fruit with great antioxidant capacity is açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.), which has recently emerged as a promising source of energy, and nutritional and antimicrobial properties [4,5]. Preventing oxidative stress in human endothelial cells and the therapeutic effect on neurodegenerative diseases have emerged as bioactivities related to this fruit [6,7,8,9].
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