Spray-drying microencapsulation of pomegranate seed oil with Cordia gum fruit and maltodextrin: Physicochemical and oxidative stability

Hooshyari, Mohammad; Fat&#039;hi Emadabadi, Mohammad Reza; Zaki Dizaji, Hassan

doi:10.22104/ift.2025.7937.2245

Spray-drying microencapsulation of pomegranate seed oil with Cordia gum fruit and maltodextrin: Physicochemical and oxidative stability

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ Ph.D. Student, Chemistry Dept., Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Golestan Blvd., Ahvaz, Iran,

² Professor, Chemistry Dept., Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Golestan Blvd., Ahvaz, Iran

³ Biosystems Engineering Dept., Agricultural faculty, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran,

10.22104/ift.2025.7937.2245

Abstract

Despite the low antioxidant activity of pomegranate seeds, pomegranate seed oil (PSO) has very high antioxidant activity but is unstable. In this study, PSO was microencapsulated with natural materials and a clean label by spray drying. For this purpose, walls with different concentrations of cordia fruit gum (CFG) and maltodextrin were used. The creaming index of the emulsions was measured and, their physicochemical and oxidative stability properties were investigated. The results showed that microcapsules prepared by spray drying with a 6% CFG ratio had the highest encapsulation efficiency (88.11%), the smallest particle size (124.1 μm), the highest bulk density (0.38 g/cm3), the highest sphericity, and the highest oxidative stability. All the microcapsules' moisture contents fell below the 4% threshold that is considered acceptable for dry powders in the food sector. This study showed that using the microencapsulation as a clean-label technology (CL) system, it is possible to add value to pomegranate processing waste, thereby providing a sustainable method for using natural and indigenous ingredients that are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in the food industry and an effective solution to solve the problem of oxidative stability of PSO.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

Clean-label pomegranate seed oil (PSO) microcapsules with walls containing native Cordia fruit gum (CFG) were produced via spray drying.
After evaluating emulsion and microcapsule properties, 6% CFG was selected as the optimal ratio.
SEM images showed that microcapsules containing 6% sepestane gum were spherical, with a smooth surface and high quality.
The lower peroxide index in microcapsules compared to free PSO indicates the effectiveness of microencapsulation.
The results of this study confirm the potential application of this system for protecting PSO in the food industry.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Food science and technology

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