Microencapsulation of Pitanga extract (Eugenia uniflora L.) by ionic gelation: Effect of wall material and fluidized...

Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) is a fruit native to Brazil with a large amount of bioactive compounds, antioxidant properties and attractive color. However, it is not yet well studied, despite its high availability. A technique that can improve its application and the stability of its compounds is microencapsulation. Therefore, this work aimed to develop microparticles using ionic gelation (IG), multiple emulsion and fluidized bed drying. The pitanga fruit extract presented high levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. The encapsulation efficiency in terms of phenolic compounds ranged from 25.76 to 54.51 %. Microparticles showed D₅₀ ranging from 455 to 676 μm. The temperature and drying time influenced the physicochemical characteristics of the microparticles as they were dried in a fluidized bed. Microparticles dried at a higher temperature, for a shorter time and with a higher final moisture content exhibited a higher concentration of phenolic compounds, lighter color, less agglomeration, but lower carotenoid content. These results demonstrate that the IG and fluidized bed drying process is a promising method to increase the commercialization of pitanga fruit. These techniques have increased the stability of the active compounds of this fruit and can enable its application in foods as a natural colorant and/or functional agent.