Microcapsules of ciriguela peel extracts obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction were prepared by spray drying, whose results were compared with those of freeze-drying as a control. The effects of spray-drying air temperature, feed flow rate and ratio of encapsulating agents (maltodextrin and arabic gum) were studied. Encapsulation efficiency, moisture content, total phenolic compounds (TPC), water activity, hygroscopicity, solubility, colorimetric parameters, phenolic profile by HPLC/DAD, simulated gastrointestinal digestion and morphology of spray-dried and freeze-dried microcapsules were evaluated, as well as their stability of TPC during 90 days storage at 7 and 25 °C. Spray-dried extract showed higher encapsulation efficiency (98.83%) and TPC (476.82 mg GAE g-1) than freeze-dried extract. The most abundant compounds in the liquid extract of ciriguela peel flour were rutin, epicatechin gallate, chlorogenic acid and quercetin. Rutin and myricetin were the major flavonoids in the spray-dried extract, while quercetin and kaempferol were in the freeze-dried one. The simulated gastrointestinal digestion test of microencapsulated extracts revealed the highest TPC contents after the gastric phase and the lowest one after the intestinal one. Rutin was the most abundant compound after the digestion of both spray-dried (68.74 µg g-1) and freeze-dried (93.98 µg g-1) extracts. Spray-dried microcapsules were of spherical shape, freeze-dried products of irregular structures. Spray-dried microcapsules had higher phenolic compounds contents after 90 days of storage at 7 °C compared to those stored at 25 °C, while the lyophilized ones showed no significant difference between the two storage temperatures. The ciriguela agro-industrial residue can be considered an interesting alternative source of phenolic compounds that could be used, in the form of bioactive compounds-rich powders, as an ingredient in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries.
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