Technological characterization and stability of Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil. Aquifoliaceae (Maté) spray-dried powder

Optimization of alcohol extraction and spray-drying conditions for efficient processing and quality evaluation of instant tea powder from lotus and green tea leaves

Lotus and Green Tea leaves are two frequently used medicinal plants in Vietnam, utilized as food, drink, or in traditional treatments to help with weight loss and cholesterol reduction. The study’s major goal is to determine the parameters of the process preparation in order to generate instant tea powder that satisfies quality criteria for customer demand. Twenty experiments are conducted using the D-optimal model to evaluate the cause-effect relationship and optimize the production process of instant tea powder. Four independent variables are selected for the survey namely alcohol concentration (40%; 50%; 60%), carrier mass (10 g; 20 g; 30 g), inlet air temperature (160 °C; 170 °C) and flow rate (4 rpm/min; 5 rpm/min). The instant tea powder is effectively created and met quality parameters, with a drying performance, moisture content, total phenol and flavonoid content of 29.15%, 4.83%, 45.29 mg GA/g, and 70.68 mg QE/g, respectively. In conclusion, the optimal parameters of the preparation process were identified, which included an alcohol content of 60%, a carrier mass of 10 g, an inlet air temperature of 165 °C, and a flow rate of 4 rpm/min.

Process optimization of spray-dried Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) extract powder

The present study was aimed to develop the powder from Moldavian balm extract using a spray dryer to preserve the valuable phytochemicals such as hydroxycinnamic acid and flavonoids. In order to produce optimum Moldavian balm spray-dried powder, response surface methodology was applied. The inlet air temperature (120-180°C), compressed airflow rate (5-10 L/min), and carriers' concentration (10%-30%) were kept as independent variables, while moisture content, drying performance, porosity, total phenol content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity were selected as responses. The process was optimized with inlet air temperature of 140.36°C, compressed airflow rate of 9.13 L/min and carriers' concentration of 18%, resulting in powder with moisture content of 7.68%, drying performance of 62.52%, porosity of 76.4%, total phenol content of 6.295 mg GAE/g, total flavonoid content of 0.378 mg QUE/g, and antioxidant activity of 51.78%. The optimized process led to attain the powder having significantly better phytochemical properties compared with others.

Ilex paraguariensis Pellets from a Spray-Dried Extract: Development, Characterization, and Stability

Several studies have shown the potential use of Ilex paraguariensis in developing products with the aim to protect biological systems against oxidative stress-mediated damages. In the same way, technological studies have demonstrated the feasibility of obtaining dry products, by spray-drying process, from aqueous extracts of I. paraguariensis in laboratory. The present work was designed to develop pellets by extrusion/spheronization process, from an I. paraguariensis spray-dried powder. The pellets were characterized with respect to their chemical, physical, and technological properties, and the thermal and the photostability of the main polyphenol constituents were investigated. The pellets exhibited adequate size, shape, and high process yield (78.7%), as well as a good recovery of the total polyphenols (>95%) and a good dissolution in water (89.44 to 100.05%). The polyphenols were stable against light when conditioned in amber glass bottles; unstable against heat when the samples were conditioned either in open glass bottles or in hermetically sealed glass bottles and demonstrated to be hygroscopic and sensible to the temperature, especially when stored in permeable flasks. These findings pointed to the relevance of reducing the residual moisture content of pellets as well as of conditioning them in opaque humidity tight packages under low temperatures. The feasibility of obtaining pellets from an I. paraguariensis spray-dried powder using extrusion/spheronization technique was, for the first time, demonstrated. This finding represents a novelty for the herbal products in both pharmaceutical and food fields.

Retention of polyphenolic species in spray-dried blackberry extract using mannitol as a thermoprotectant

The purpose of these studies was to determine if a Büchi Mini Spray Dryer B-290 (Büchi Corporation, New Castle, DE, USA) could be used to prepare blackberry extract powders containing mannitol as a thermoprotectant without extensively degrading anthocyanins and polyphenols in the resulting powders. Three blackberry puree extract samples were each prepared by sonication of puree in 30/70% ethanol/water containing 0.003% HCl. Blackberry puree extract sample 1 (S1) contained no mannitol, while blackberry puree extract sample 2 (S2) contained 3.0:1 (w/w) mannitol:berry extract, and blackberry puree extract sample 3 (S3) contained 6.3:1 (w/w) mannitol:berry extract. The levels of anthocyanins and polyphenols in reconstituted spray-dried powders produced from S1-S3 were compared to solutions of S1-S3 that were held at 4°C as controls. All extract samples could be spray-dried using the Büchi Mini Spray Dryer B-290. S1, with no mannitol, showed a 30.8% decrease in anthocyanins and a 24.1% decrease in polyphenols following spray-drying. However, S2 had a reduction in anthocyanins of only 13.8%, while polyphenols were reduced by only 6.1%. S3, with a ratio of mannitol to berry extract of 6.3:1, exhibited a 12.5% decrease in anthocyanins while the decrease in polyphenols after spray-drying was not statistically significant (P=.16). Collectively, these data indicate that a Büchi Mini Spray Dryer B-290 is a suitable platform for producing stable berry extract powders, and that mannitol is a suitable thermoprotectant that facilitates retention of thermosensitive polyphenolic species in berry extracts during spray-drying.

Dietary factors affecting polyphenol bioavailability

While many epidemiological studies have associated the consumption of polyphenols within fruits and vegetables with a decreased risk of developing several chronic diseases, intervention studies have generally not confirmed these beneficial effects. The reasons for this discrepancy are not fully understood but include potential differences in dosing, interaction with the food matrix, and differences in polyphenol bioavailability. In addition to endogenous factors such as microbiota and digestive enzymes, the food matrix can also considerably affect bioaccessibility, uptake, and further metabolism of polyphenols. While dietary fiber (such as hemicellulose), divalent minerals, and viscous and protein-rich meals are likely to cause detrimental effects on polyphenol bioaccessibility, digestible carbohydrates, dietary lipids (especially for hydrophobic polyphenols, e.g., curcumin), and additional antioxidants may enhance polyphenol availability. Following epithelial uptake, polyphenols such as flavonoids may reduce phase II metabolism and excretion, enhancing polyphenol bioavailability. Furthermore, polyphenols may act synergistically due to their influence on efflux transporters such as p-glycoprotein. In order to understand polyphenol bioactivity, increased knowledge of the factors affecting polyphenol bioavailability, including dietary factors, is paramount.

Encapsulation of natural polyphenolic compounds; a review

Natural polyphenols are valuable compounds possessing scavenging properties towards radical oxygen species, and complexing properties towards proteins. These abilities make polyphenols interesting for the treatment of various diseases like inflammation or cancer, but also for anti-ageing purposes in cosmetic formulations, or for nutraceutical applications. Unfortunately, these properties are also responsible for a lack in long-term stability, making these natural compounds very sensitive to light and heat. Moreover, polyphenols often present a poor biodisponibility mainly due to low water solubility. Lastly, many of these molecules possess a very astringent and bitter taste, which limits their use in food or in oral medications. To circumvent these drawbacks, delivery systems have been developed, and among them, encapsulation would appear to be a promising approach. Many encapsulation methods are described in the literature, among which some have been successfully applied to plant polyphenols. In this review, after a general presentation of the large chemical family of plant polyphenols and of their main chemical and biological properties, encapsulation processes applied to polyphenols are classified into physical, physico-chemical, chemical methods, and other connected stabilization methods. After a brief description of each encapsulation process, their applications to polyphenol encapsulation for pharmaceutical, food or cosmetological purposes are presented.