Optimizing Wall Material Ratios for Enhanced Bioactive Compound in Ficus deltoidea using Freeze Drying

Ficus deltoidea (FD) is well documented for its pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anti-aging properties. However, the stability and adsorption of many bioactive compounds in herbs are poor, limiting their bioavailability. This study aimed to investigate the optimal formulation ratios and different wall materials (maltodextrin (MD) and gum Arabic (GA)) for encapsulating FD extract using freeze drying. Physicochemical characterizations of the formulated FD powders included evaluation of marker compound (isovitexin), phenolics (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC) content. The safety of the optimized encapsulated FD (OEFD) powder was assessed through microbiological assay. The optimal conditions, determined through response surface methodology (RSM), were a solid ratio of 20% w/v, a 75% MD: 25%GA and 3:1 of core to wall ratio, which resulted in the highest retention of isovitexin at 1.96 g/g, phenolic content of 1473 GAE mg/ 10 g extract and flavonoids content of 185 CE mg/ 10 g extract. Optimizing the freeze -drying process for FD extract improved its quality by retaining the marker compound. This optimization ensures that the bioactive compounds remain stable and effective, enhancing the therapeutic potential of the extract.