Evaluation of the antioxidant and physicochemical properties of spray-dried hydrolyzed flaxseed meal protein: The impact of combining pectin, whey protein, and starch with maltodextrin as carriers

• Spray drying maintains the antioxidant properties of hydrolyzed flaxseed protein. • Supplementary wall materials improve the functional and physicochemical traits of the powder. • Spray-dried flaxseed protein is a natural substitute for synthetic antioxidants in food. Flaxseed meal, a protein-rich food industry byproduct with antioxidant properties, was enzymatically hydrolyzed and encapsulated using maltodextrin via spray drying to protect bioactive compounds. Due to maltodextrin’s limitations, pectin (5%), potato starch (5%), and whey protein isolate (5%) were added to enhance physicochemical properties. The pectin-based formulation showed the best results, with 76.95% DPPH scavenging activity, 0.866 total antioxidant capacity (absorption at 695 nm), and 46.53% microencapsulation efficiency. Findings suggest that combining maltodextrin with supplementary carriers improves the stability and antioxidant potential of microencapsulated bioactive compounds.