Encapsulation of Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) Seed Polyphenols in Polysaccharide-Based Carriers: Process Optimization,...

This study investigated to enhance the value of rosehip (Rosa canina L.) seed as a source of phenolic antioxidants for application in model food systems (sunflower and corn oils). Encapsulation formulations were developed using a mixture design with two coating materials (Arabic gum and maltodextrin) and one process factor (inlet temperature) to optimize encapsulation efficiency (EE) with respect to total polyphenols, microencapsulation yield (EY), and antioxidant activity. The model was highly significant (p < 0.0001) with no lack of fit (p > 0.05), while the optimum conditions (Arabic gum at 160°C) were validated with < 2% deviation. The developed microparticles exhibited 66.08%-84.49% EE, 53.57%-73.67% EY, and 3.72-4.21 mg-TEAC/g-DM antioxidant activity. SEM confirmed the morphological uniformity, whereas chemometric analysis effectively differentiated the formulations. In vitro digestion showed polyphenol release was higher in the intestinal phase (68.47%) than in the gastric phase (65.44%). Incorporation of the encapsulated powders enhanced the oxidative stability of sunflower and corn oils by 32% and 60%. These results demonstrate that spray-drying encapsulation is an efficient and sustainable strategy to stabilize rosehip seed polyphenols and improve their applicability in functional food formulations.