Search

In this study, cinnamon and paprika oleoresins were encapsulated by two technologies, respectively, spray chilling and particles from gas saturated solutions. Both technologies used palm oil as wall materials. The physical characteristics of the microparticles were compared as well as the oleoresins release behavior in high- and low-fat simulated food media. The spray chilling microparticles had an average diameter of 143.7 ± 1.5 µm, spherical shape, smooth surface, and passable flow property. In contrast, microparticles obtained by particles from gas saturated solutions (PGSS) showed an average diameter of 105.7 ± 0.6 µm, irregular shape, porous surface, poor flow property but higher encapsulation efficiency. In evaluating the compounds released in a simulated food medium, the spray chilling particles delivered 30.7%, while PGSS reached 23.1% after 1 h. Both microparticles well fitted the Kosmeyer-Peppas (R2 = 0.98 and 0.96 for spray chilling and PGSS) and Peppas-Sahlin models (R2 = 0.98 and 0.97 for spray chilling and PGSS). However, spray chilling microparticles showed a diffusion mechanism, while for PGSS ones erosion was the main mechanism. Despite the different physical characteristics, both microparticles proved to be possible facilitators in delivering oleoresins in food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oleoresins are natural extracts obtained from plants and spices. Cinnamaldehyde and carotenoids are the main compounds found in cinnamon and paprika oleoresins, respectively, and exhibit pronounced antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. The coencapsulation of the two oleoresins can promote greater stability and synergism between them. Microencapsulation by spray chilling generates solid lipid microparticles when the atomized matrix crystallizes in contact with the cold chamber. This technique allows greater trapping of volatile compounds as they are more soluble in lipid materials. This work's main objective was to evaluate the synergistic antifungal effect between cinnamon and paprika oleoresins and their coencapsulation by spray chilling. Cinnamon:paprika (1:1 and 2:1) mixture showed a synergistic effect against Penicillium paneum and Aspergillus niger. The extracts also prevented the growth of microorganisms without direct contact with the agar. The microparticles showed a spherical surface and polymorphic β′-characteristic. Particles containing paprika oleoresin presented orange color, while samples with only cinnamon were off-white. The size distribution was multimodal with (D0.5) ranging from 13.6 μm for samples containing only cinnamon to 1152.7 μm for samples containing only paprika oleoresin. The storage temperature (5 and 25 °C) affected the release of cinnamaldehyde from the microparticles. Regarding the first 14 days, samples stored at 5 °C released more cinnamaldehyde compared to that stored at 25 °C. The concentration of carotenoids in the particles remained constant throughout the 49 days of storage for both temperatures. The coencapsulation of oleoresin from paprika and cinnamon made it possible to obtain a lipid coloring powder that has antimicrobial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active films have gained increasing interest because of their potential to reduce the amount of additives into foods. The aim of this work was to produce and characterize bi-layer films based on gelatin in both layers, in which the nisin and/or "pitanga" leaf hydroethanolic extract was loaded in the second layer. The bi-layer gelatin-based films were characterized regarding humidity and solubility in water, color, microstructure, mechanical properties, water contact angle, water vapor permeability, UV/Vis barrier, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The addition of active compounds on the second layer of the films was sufficient to produce active films. The presence of additives in the films' second layer did not affect film humidity, water vapor permeability, or the molecular interactions of the polymer matrix as assessed by FTIR. Although some mechanical properties and the water contact angle were affected, it was not necessarily deleterious to the films' functionality. All active films presented activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes even with the additive being present only in a thin layer. And, as it could be expected, only films containing PLHE presented antioxidant activity. This study concluded that the bi-layer technique permits the production of active films while employing only one third of the amount of additives when compared to similar monolayer films of the same thickness, as produced in a previous work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]