Caracterização da qualidade de microcápsulas liofilizadas obtidas a partir de própolis verde e acerola

Abstract

Propolis is a product rich in phenolic compounds that have antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. Like propolis, acerola is recognized for its high content of ascorbic acid (AA), total phenolic compounds (TPC), carotenoids, anthocyanins and considerable antioxidant potential. These bioactive compounds can be protected from degradation by the encapsulation technique, whose wall material will make their release possible under specific conditions. Thus, this study aimed to obtain powders from acerola pulp, added with green propolis extract and the wall materials gum arabic and maltodextrin through lyophilization. Green and red propolis were first characterized regarding the determination of physicochemical parameters, identification of chemical constituents through high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and antiacetylcholinesterase activity. The propolis extracts were evaluated for stability through antioxidant activity over a period of (0.5, 10, 15) days. The physicochemical characteristics of the pulp were also evaluated. The powders obtained with the whole acerola pulp and propolis extract were evaluated for moisture, color, hygroscopicity, solubility, phenolic compound content, flavonoid content, antioxidant activity and antiacetylcholinesterase activity containing 20% (w/w) of the drying adjuvants. The results showed that the green and red propolis complied with the identity and quality standards. In the stability test, the green propolis extract remained more stable than the red propolis extract, with inhibitory concentration (IC 50) values ranging from 75.45% to 82.87%. The acerola whole pulp and propolis extract powders presented moisture content between 2.49% and 6.59%, hygroscopicity 4.61% and 8.69% and solubility 85.78% and 95.24%. The addition of wall materials in the mixture contributed to reducing the moisture content of the powders, while maltodextrin resulted in powders with greater hygroscopicity and solubility. The powders also resulted in phenolic compounds ranging from 8.41 to 39.55 mgGAE.g-1 , flavonoids 3.73 and 5.06 mgQE.g-1, antioxidant activity 17.83% and 25.78% and antiacetylcholinesterase activity 12.46 and 14.65 μg.mL-1 . These values, when compared to the whole pulp, were better with a synergistic effect. The adjuvants also contributed to a greater luminosity in the powders compared to the whole pulp. Therefore, freeze-drying was an appropriate technique for obtaining the powder of this product, increasing and preserving its bioactive compounds.