Behavior of Phenolic Compounds During In Vitro Digestion of an Isotonic Beverage Enriched with Microencapsulated Habanero Pepper Leaf Extracts

The valorization of agro-industrial byproducts like Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) leaves has gained attention due to their high polyphenol content and bioactivity. In this study, phenolic-rich extracts were obtained using ultrasound-assisted extraction with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES). Extracts were microencapsulated with maltodextrin, guar gum, and modified starch and incorporated into an isotonic beverage. The bioaccessibility of total and individual polyphenols were assessed through in vitro digestion by simulating fasting and postprandial conditions. Under fasting conditions, the enriched isotonic beverage showed significantly higher total phenolic content (6.98 ± 0.03 mg GAE/100 mL) compared to the control isotonic beverage (5.02 ± 0.22 mg GAE/100 mL), representing a 39% increase. Rutin and quercetin remained detectable throughout digestion, with final concentrations of 1.24 ± 0.05 and 1.10 ± 0.10 mg/100 mL, respectively, in the enriched beverage under postprandial conditions. These findings confirm the protective effect of the encapsulation matrix and highlight NADES as promising solvents for sustainable extraction. This work supports the integration of polyphenol microencapsulated into functional beverages as a novel strategy for delivering bioactive compounds from Capsicum chinense by-products.