Microencapsulation of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Roselle) Extracts by Spray Drying Using Maltodextrin and Gum Arabic as Carriers

Microencapsulation by spray drying is one of the most common methods used to obtain food material powders. In this study, different gums (maltodextrin [MD], gum arabic [GA], and mixtures of MD:GA [60:40] at various concentrations [0–10% w/w]) were used to microencapsulate Hibiscus sabdariffa (Roselle) extracts by spray drying. The yield, physicochemical properties, and antioxidant characteristics (total monomeric anthocyanins [TMAs], total phenolic compounds [TPCs], and antioxidant capacity [AC]) of the microencapsulated Roselle powders (RP) were evaluated. The highest RP yield (73.3 ± 3.3%) was obtained with the 3% MD:GA blend. The red color (a*) average for all powders (39.9 ± 2.0) decreased as the gum concentration increased. The 3% MD:GA RP showed the highest amount of TMAs (539.19 ± 13.27 mg cyaniding-3-glucoside equivalents/100 g) and TPCs (3,801.6 ± 125.9 mg of gallic acid equivalents/100 g of powder). The highest AC was observed with a 5% GA RP (1498.5 ± 44.0 mg of Trolox equivalents/100 g of powder).