Storage stability and physicochemical properties of passion fruit juice microcapsules by spray-drying

Abstract

The aim of this work was to microencapsulate passion fruit juice (PFJ) by spray-drying in two dierent biopolymers blends: Gum Arabic-mesquite gum-maltodextrin DE-10 (GA17-MG66-MD17 and GA17-MG-17-MD66), yielding the microcapsules MGA17-MG66-MD17 and MGA17-MG17-MD66. The spray-dried passion fruit microcapsules were analyzed for physicochemical properties (moisture content, water activity, powder particle size), quality properties (hygroscopicity, dispersibility, rehydration time), and reconstituted product properties (total color change and vitamin C retention). The minimum integral entropy of the microcapsules was determined at 25, 35, and 40 °C, and the resulting water activities (aW) were 0.447, 0.505, 0.629 for MGA17-MG66-MD17 and 0.383, 0.414, 0.605 for MGA17-MG17-MD66, respectively. These temperatures-aW sets were considered as the most adequate conditions for achieving maximum storage stability of the microcapsules. The best vitamin C retention level occurred at 25 °C, aW = 0.447 for MGA17-MG66-MD17, and at 25 °C, aW = 0.383 for MGA17-MG17-MD66.