Microencapsulation of fermented wild blueberry to improve the stability of (poly)phenols

• Wild blueberry bioactives have poor stability and bioaccessibility. • Microbial fermentation enhanced bioactive constituents of wild blueberries • Controversial maltodextrin partially replaced with inulin in bioactive microencapsulation • Novel microencapsulation enhanced the stability of bioactive constituents • Dual fermentation and microencapsulation generated novel functional food ingredients Dual fermentation augments the diversity and efficacy of wild blueberry bioactives, while microencapsulation ensures their stability and marketability. Here, we have subsequently fermented wild blueberries using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Komagataeibacter spp. and microencapsulated the end products using different prebiotic fibers and plant proteins as alternatives to controversial maltodextrin. Biotransformation generated health-promoting postbiotics including (poly)phenol metabolites and short-chain fatty acids. The microparticle formulation comprising inulin and maltodextrin (1:1 w/w) exhibited desirable properties similar to conventional microencapsulation products including moisture content (6.07 ± 1.3%), hygroscopicity (7.11 ± 0.4%), particle size (36.9 ± 12 μm), encapsulation efficiency (76.7 ± 3%), and loading capacity (0.348 ± 0.08%). The novel microparticles displayed robust stability under UV light exposure and storage at 4, 20, and 35 °C compared to non-encapsulated fermented wild blueberries. In conclusion, dual fermentation and prebiotic inulin-based microencapsulation pave the way for innovative, safe, and potentially health-enhancing novel food ingredients.