Microencapsulation of Carotenoid-Enriched Plant-Based Oils by Spray-Drying Using Alternative Vegan Wall Materials: A Strategy to Improve Stability and Antioxidant Activity

Sustainable plant-based materials are becoming more popular as a substitute for those of animal origin for the encapsulation of compounds. Among different techniques, microencapsulation is widely used to protect bioactives and keep them intact to reach the desired target area. In this work, microencapsulation of oils by spray-drying using alternative vegan materials was proposed to mitigate oxidative degradation of oils. The determination of the best combination and ratio for different vegan wall materials (pectin, inulin, pea protein, and modified corn starch) was first developed using high-oleic sunflower oil enriched with β-carotene. In terms of efficiency, the best wall materials were pectin and inulin (P:I) in a 1:1 ratio, achieving 67.26 ± 0.78%. This ratio also obtained the best morphological results for shape and size studied by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and DLS (dynamic light scattering). Additionally, the antioxidant activity of the oil enriched with β-carotene was studied, obtaining an IC5O of 0.15 mg/mL. Moreover, when Schizochytrium sp. was used instead of sunflower oil, as a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched plant-based oil, the best results were also obtained for the P:I mixture, but at a ratio of 1:5. In all cases, the preservation of fatty acid profiles was achieved, giving insights for the potential use of alternative materials. The synergy between the use of antioxidants and encapsulation provides an effective method to avoid oxidation of edible oils. This work demonstrates the possibility of encapsulating carotenoid-enriched microalgae oil with vegan materials, improving its stability and bioavailability.