Production of microencapsulated cinnamon extract using spray drying and evaluation of its effects on bread quality

Natural antioxidants can improve the oxidative and sensory properties of bread, but their instability limits their functionality. Encapsulation effectively addresses this issue. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of spray drying on the physicochemical properties of cinnamon extracts encapsulated with different wall materials, including maltodextrin (MD), gum arabic (GA), and their combination. In addition, the effects of different levels (1, 2.5, and 5%) of the best microcapsule formulation, as well as the use of 1 and 10 mL concentrations of aqueous cinnamon extract (EX), were investigated on selected quality attributes of bread. Results indicated that MD samples exhibited higher process efficiency (39.20%), bulk density (0.49 g/cm³), solubility (96.98%), encapsulation efficiency (76.32%), total phenolic content (40.25 mg/100 g), and DPPH free radical scavenging ability (56.78%) compared to GA samples. Additionally, MD samples had lower moisture content (2.41%) and hygroscopicity (10.21%). Microscopic images of the spray-dried powders revealed larger particle size for GA samples. Based on the measured characteristics, the sample coated with MD was selected as the best microcapsule. The bread containing 5% microcapsule extract displayed the highest total phenol content (7.45 mg/100 g) and DPPH free radical scavenging ability (20.63%). Considering other results, particularly overall sensory acceptance, it can be inferred that enhancing the bread with up to 2.5% of microencapsulated cinnamon extract enhances its antioxidant properties without greatly impacting sensory quality.