Targeted mitigation strategies for wall deposition in spray-dried jujube extract employing composite SSOS-WPI wall...

The high sugar content of jujube extract presents significant challenges during spray drying due to its tendency to adhere to drying chamber walls, thereby reducing yield and compromising product quality. This study explores the impact of composite wall materials-maltodextrin (MD), sucrose stearate oligosaccharide (SSOS), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), and whey protein isolate (WPI)-on the physicochemical properties of jujube extract microcapsules. Among the tested formulations, the composite SSOS/WPI wall material (2:2) achieved the highest powder yield (82.64 %) and encapsulation efficiency (83.61 %), outperforming MD/WPI and β-CD/WPI combinations. ATR-FTIR analysis indicated that the encapsulation process was primarily governed by non-covalent interactions, whereas XRD patterns demonstrated that apparent crystallinity increased upon the incorporation of WPI, fostering the formation of more ordered structures. Particle size measurements showed that WPI reduced average particle diameter, with SSOS/WPI producing the smallest particles (1404.6 nm). SEM imaging further demonstrated the formation of uniform, spherical microcapsules, particularly in WPI-rich formulations. These findings highlight the critical role of WPI-based composite wall materials in mitigating wall deposition, improving encapsulation performance, and enhancing the stability and quality of spray-dried high-sugar bioactive ingredients, offering valuable guidance for the development of efficient and scalable microencapsulation systems in functional food applications.