Plant‐Derived Bioactives in Functional Foods: Optimized Microencapsulation of <i>Hymenocrater calycinus</i> Extract With Hydrolyzed Protein Carriers for <i>Aloe Vera</i> Beverage Fortification

ABSTRACT Medicinal plants like Hymenocrater calycinus offer bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential, but their instability limits incorporation into functional foods. This study optimized spray‐drying microencapsulation of aqueous H. calycinus extract using maltodextrin (MD) alone or combined with whey protein concentrate (WPC), hydrolyzed WPC (HWPC), apricot kernel protein (AP), or hydrolyzed AP (HAP) as carriers, followed by evaluation in Aloe Vera beverage fortification. GC‐MS identified major bioactives, including allocholesterol, sebacic acid derivatives, and phytonadione as predominant compounds. Microcapsules were characterized for production yield, encapsulation efficiency, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, physicochemical properties and morphology. The MD‐HAP formulation demonstrated superior performance across all parameters, achieving the highest encapsulation efficiency (86.00%) and production yield (59.67%), attributed to hydrolyzed proteins' enhanced film‐forming and emulsifying properties. SEM confirmed spherical, stable particles, while FT‐IR verified physical entrapment of plant extract within microcapsules without chemical interactions. Fortification of Aloe Vera beverages with MD‐HAP microcapsules maintained acceptable physicochemical properties and sensory characteristics, with optimal consumer acceptance at 0.5% concentration. This study establishes microencapsulation with hydrolyzed plant proteins as a viable strategy for developing stable, bioactive‐rich functional beverages, offering significant potential for industrial‐scale production of clean‐label functional foods with enhanced nutritional value.