Spray-Drying Microencapsulation of Artemisia herba-alba Phenolic Extract: Physicochemical Properties, Structural Characterization, and Bioactivity

<i>Artemisia herba-alba</i> Asso. is a medicinal plant rich in phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. However, these bioactive molecules are highly sensitive to environmental conditions, limiting their stability and potential applications. This study investigated, for the first time, the encapsulation of ethanolic extracts from the aerial parts of <i>A. herba-alba</i> by spray-drying, using maltodextrin (MD) and sodium caseinate (SC) as wall materials. The extract was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction, and both free and encapsulated forms were analyzed for phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial activity. Spray-dried microcapsules (SDE) were further characterized for encapsulation yield, efficiency, moisture, water activity, hygroscopicity, particle size, and structural integrity (SEM, ATR-FTIR, TGA/DTG). The process resulted in a high encapsulation yield (69.40%) and efficiency (96.39%), producing microcapsules with a small average size (10.05 ± 0.08 µm), low moisture (4.34%), low water activity (0.415), and moderate hygroscopicity (12.67%). Although the encapsulated extract showed lower total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and antibacterial activity compared to the free extract, SEM observations confirmed the formation of spherical, crack-free microcapsules, ATR-FTIR analysis revealed non-covalent interactions between wall materials and phenolics, and TGA/DTG demonstrated improved thermal stability. These results highlight spray-drying microencapsulation as an efficient approach to stabilize <i>A. herba-alba</i> phenolic compounds, offering promising applications as natural preservatives in the food industry.