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

• Agavins from A. potatorum encapsulating agent for the stability of anthocyanins, • Anthocyanins in BAE are conserved up to 87% through spray drying using agavins • The Tg (> 50°C), values indicated the suitability of powders for handling and processing • Polyphenols decreased only 6% after four months of storage protected from light at 25°C • Microencapsulated with potential application as a prebiotic or food coloring agent. 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 less than 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.