Micropartículas de óleo essencial de laranja doce (Citrus aurantium var. dulcis) em matriz de gelatina e maltodextrina.

Abstract

Sweet orange essential oil (OELD) is mainly obtained from agro-industrial waste from the production and processing of orange juice. This product has a high added value, mainly due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. However, it presents high sensitivity to adverse environmental conditions, being volatile and susceptible to oxidation by the effect of temperature, light and oxygen. Microencapsulation, in turn, is an emerging technology that provides protection to bioactive compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the use of maltodextrin (MD) and gelatin (GEL) on three different formulations (LD1, LD2 and LD3), with LD1 being only with MD and LD2 and LD3 using mixtures of MD and GEL in the proportions of 2:1 and 1:1, respectively) in the microencapsulation of OELD (10% m/m). Microspheres of OELD were obtained by emulsification, followed by lyophilization and characterized as yield, microencapsulation efficiency, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG and DTG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and bioactivity through the determination of total phenolic content, antioxidant and antibacterial activity. The results showed encapsulation yield and efficiency of up to 90.19 and 75.75%, respectively. SEM analysis showed LD1, LD2 and LD3 microspheres with typical irregular lyophilization drying form. TG, DTG and DSC curves showed a reduction in the volatilization of OELD in LD1 and greater thermo-oxidative protection in LD2 and LD3. Antibacterial and antioxidant properties, as well as the total phenolic content of OELD, were maintained after microencapsulation. The developed OELD microspheres present high added value, besides being more stable against extrinsic factors, lower rate of volatilization, more practical and safe handling, facilitating transport, storage and insertion in food matrices.