Agavins from Agave potatorum: A low-calorie encapsulant for spray drying of anthocyanins

Patricia A. Santiago García, Miguel Chávez Gutiérrez, Frank M. León Martínez, Delia Soto Castro, Ruth E. Márquez López, Yunia V. Garcia Tejeda, Erika Mellado Mojica, Mercedes G. López

Te invitamos a leer el artículo "Agavins from Agave potatorum: A low-calorie encapsulant for spray drying of anthocyanins" publicado en "Applied Food Research" en el que colaboró la Dra. Mercedes G. López Pérez de Cinvestav Irapuato.

Autores:

Patricia A. Santiago García,  Miguel Chávez Gutiérrez,  Frank M. León Martínez,  Delia Soto Castro,  Ruth E. Márquez López,  Yunia V. Garcia Tejeda,  Erika Mellado Mojica,  Mercedes G. López

Resumen:

Agavins are non-digestible carbohydrates derived from the agave plant. They are recognized for their prebiotic properties and have shown promising results in preclinical studies. In this work, agavins from Agave potatorum were evaluated as potential microencapsulating agents for bioactive compounds. The characterization of the microcapsules obtained under optimized spray drying conditions, as well as their storage stability, was performed. Blueberry anthocyanin extract (BAE) was employed as a bioactive compound. BAE was mixed with agavins from Agave potatorum Zucc. and spray-dried under different conditions. Parameters such as moisture, hygroscopicity, polyphenol and anthocyanin content, color, glass transition temperature (Tg), water activity (aw), powder morphology, and particle size were analyzed. From the drying conditions evaluated, a temperature of 140/80 °C (based on the lowest loss of total polyphenols, anthocyanins and colour) was found to be optimal for drying anthocyanins and 15 % agavins as encapsulating agent. This resulted in a recovery yield of 65 % with a hygroscopicity of 18 %, polyphenol retention of 86 %, and a Tg of 55 °C. The micrographs revealed that the agavins formed a continuous matrix, facilitating the retention of bioactive compounds. The storage stability test showed a reduction of <6 % in polyphenol content after four months of storage, protected from light at 25 °C. These data demonstrate that A. potatorum agavins are viable encapsulating agents for bioactive compounds, enabling the development of a bifunctional food ingredient.