Antioxidant activities of spray-dried carotenoids using maltodextrin-Arabic gum as wall materials

Abstract

Abstract Background Carotenoids are natural pigments that are highly sensitive to light, heat, acids, oxygen, metals, and free radicals, which degrade the antioxidant activities of carotenoids. Microencapsulation techniques have been used to prevent carotenoid degradation and preserve their antioxidant activities. In this work, we aimed to encapsulate mamey (Pouteria sapota) and carrot (Daucus carota) carotenoids in mixtures of maltodextrin (10% w/v) and Arabic gum (5 or 10% w/v) by spray-drying. The obtained powders were stored at different temperatures (4 and 25 °C) with or without access to daylight, and changes in color, carotenoid content, and antioxidant activity were analyzed monthly for three months. Moreover, the in vivo antioxidant activities of spray-dried carotenoids were evaluated in Caenorhabditis elegans. Results The carotenoid and antioxidant activity losses of stored carotenoids were found in the following order: 25 °C in daylight > 25 °C without access to daylight > 4 °C without access to daylight. Moreover, the combination of maltodextrin and Arabic gum (10%) was more effective to prevent carotenoid loss compared to maltodextrin and Arabic gum (5%). In vivo antioxidant activity results showed that spray-dried carotenoids reduced approximately 30% of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in nematodes, even after three months of storage. Conclusions Mamey and carrot carotenoids were successfully encapsulated by the spray-drying technique. The spray-dried carotenoids effectively reduced the intracellular ROS levels and neutralized the oxidative stress damage in C. elegans, even after three months of storage. Moreover, the antioxidant activities of mamey carotenoids were equally effective as those of carrot carotenoids, meaning that mamey carotenoids could be seen as an alternative source of carotenoids.