Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) root sherbet (extract): Microencapsulation and storage stability

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to produce microencapsulated liquorice root extract (LRE) and determine storage stability of the product obtained. Maltodextrin (MD) and gum arabic (GA) as wall material were used to produce microencapsulated LRE by spray drying technology. Ratio of MD to GA was determined by response surface methodology. Three parameters: microencapsulation yield (MY), microencapsulation efficiency (ME), and Carr index as response were evaluated for optimization. MD emulsion was best for microencapsulation of LRE. Control emulsion was prepared without using any wall material. MD and control emulsions were stored for 6 months. Both preserved their bioactive and physical properties during storage. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AA) of MD and control emulsions ranged from 8.09–9.09 and 34.59–39.02 mg GAE/g (TPC); 44.78–51.27 and 136.13–171.08 mg TEAC/g (AA), respectively, during storage. Furthermore, moisture content, water activity, solubility, wettability, Carr index, and Hausner ratio of samples were found to vary between 1.54–3.12%, 0.16–0.32, 93.54–99.22%, 180–240 sec, 22.5–35.63, and 1.29–1.56, respectively, during storage. This study provides direct comparative data on properties of LRE powders produced without using wall material and microencapsulated using wall material by spray drying.