Effect of wall materials in spray-dried microencapsulation of fucoxanthin

Fucoxanthin as a seaweed xanthophyll is abundant in edible brown algae. Fucoxanthin showed numerous excellent bioactivities and pharmacological benefits. Its durability and bioavailability were very important during processing and storage when it is used as a colorant and bioactive ingredient in food applications. However, fucoxanthin is very susceptible to external factors in environmental conditions such as heavy metals, high temperature, light and oxygen. In order to improve its bio-accessibility, the same proportion of 12% of wall materials such as maltodextrin, trehalose, Arabic gum, modified starch, inulin; inlet/outlet drying temperature 150oC/80oC and feed flow rates 10 mL/min were investigated on spray drying of fucoxanthin. The spray-dried powder was then checked for microencapsulation efficiency, particle size and bulk density. Storage stability was also observed at 4 week-interval for 24 weeks of storage at ambient conditions. Results showed that Arabic gum was the best selection among wall materials. By spray drying with Arabic gum, the spray-dried fucoxanthin powder showed the highest microencapsulation efficiency (94.27±1.17%), particle size (6.79±0.05 µm) and bulk density (0.43±0.02 g/mL). The best fucoxanthin stability (90.46±0.15%) was also noticed in Arabic gum during 24 weeks of storage. Meanwhile, inulin was not suitable as a carrier for microencapsulation of fucoxanthin. The findings of this research suggested that proper carrier was very essential for the microencapsulation validity of thermal-sensitive constituents