Anthocyanin Encapsulation as a Potential Approach for Improving the Quality of Aronia Powder

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biochemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Aronia fruit processing generates dust waste containing valuable bioactive compounds, particularly polyphenols like anthocyanins.
• Efficient extraction methods are needed to valorize this by-product, transforming waste into a source of beneficial compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize ultrasound-assisted extraction of anthocyanins and flavonoids from aronia fruit dust.
• To investigate the impact of acidified spray drying on the physicochemical properties of aronia powders.

Main Methods:

• Ultrasound-assisted extraction performed at 70 °C, 80 min, and 206 W.
• Spray drying of aronia extracts acidified with citric, malic, or ascorbic acids (4% and 8%) and maltodextrin.

Main Results:

• Identified three major anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, -arabinoside, -glucoside) and three flavonoids (rutin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin).
• Aronia powders produced using malic or citric acids exhibited higher bulk density, smaller particle size, and more uniform particle distribution compared to those made with ascorbic acid.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasound-assisted extraction is effective for isolating bioactive compounds from aronia fruit dust.
• Acid type significantly influences the quality attributes of spray-dried aronia powders, with malic and citric acids being superior to ascorbic acid for achieving desirable powder characteristics.